Bay of Plenty Business News June/July 2019

Bay of plenty 

JUNE/JULY 2019 VOLUME 3: ISSUE 6 WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/BOPBUSINESSNEWS 

PlantTECH 

A BIG BOOST 

FOR BAY AGRITECH 

Priority One and the University of Waikato have joined 

forces with eight leading exporters to form a unique 

collaboration aimed at accelerating innovation. 

PlantTech’s Mark Begbie, Science Minister Megan Woods and Priority One’s Nigel Tutt: Formally 

underway. (below) Robotics Plus chief executive Matt Glen responds to questions from the three 

keynote speakers at the PlantTech launch. All photos/John Borren Photography. 

By DAVID PORTER 

PlantTech has been in gestation 

for some time, but 

in May the innovative 

new research institute was formally 

declared up and running. 

Bay of Plenty businesses 

failed in their first attempt to 

get backing from the Ministry 

of Business Innovation and 

Employment (MBIE) when 

the then National Government 

floated the idea of helping 

to fund several new regional 

research institutes. 

Undeterred, Priority One 

and the University of Waikato, 

supported by eight key local 

agri-tech-focused businesses 

(see accompanying story for 

details) went back to the drawing 

board. 

They came back with a new 

approach that made it clear to 

MBIE that it wasn’t just proposing 

to create a research 

institute, but one with a real 

commercial focus. 

As Steve Saunders, chair of 

PlantTech co-founder Robotics 

Plus, told Bay of Plenty Business 

News when PlantTech 

learned in 2017 that it had 

been awarded one of four coveted 

regional research institute 

slots: “The horticultural sector 

is not just growing, but really 

punching above its weight. It 

was clear to MBIE that it’s a 

research institute, but with a 

real commercial focus.” 

Late last year PlantTech 

recruited as the inaugural 

chief executive Dr Mark Begbie, 

who had previously spent 

seven years leading the Strategic 

Innovation Development & 

Consultancy in Scotland. 

The formal launch drew 

an invited crowd of approximately 

200 to Trustpower Baypark, 

where the co-founders 

displayed some of the results 

of their ongoing research and 

heard speeches from Dr Begbie, 

Science Minister Megan 

Woods and Priority One’s chief 

executive Nigel Tutt. 

Begbie noted how 

impressed he had been during 

his initial recruitment interviews 

to see the long-term 

commitment to research and 

development that the founding 

companies carried and 

their can-do attitude and 

refreshingly open approach to 

collaboration. 

...the founding [PlantTech] consortium 

had sought out global best practice and 

endeavoured to build on the shoulders 

of giants - creating a market-driven, 

but research-focused, partnership with 

customers built in.” 

– Mark Begbie 

“It is the strength of these 

companies, their ability to take 

the innovation pipeline all the 

way to market, that will bring 

the ultimate benefit,” he said. 

Begbie’s address touched 

on three key points - two challenges, 

which came together 

in a third concept to address 

them. 

The Innovation Gap 

“The first thing is how do we 

bridge the valley of death?” he 

said. 

He noted the gap between 

knowing something was possible 

some of the time, and being 

Continues page 5 

honours 

Paul Adams knighted for 

philanthropy 

P7 

COMvita 

Chief executive steps 

down 

P9 

KIWIFRUIT 

Strong year 

for Zespri 

P13

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3 

PlantTech’s founders and funding 

Bluelab 

Bluelab, formerly NZ Hydroponics 

International, has more 

than 30 years’ experience in 

the manufacture and export of 

hand-held meters and control 

equipment for measuring and 

controlling parameters such as 

pH, conductivity and temperature 

of liquid growth media. Its 

equipment is used by everybody 

from home gardening 

enthusiasts to large-scale commercial 

operations. 

Cucumber 

Cucumber is a full-service digital 

partner that assists organisations 

to use technology and 

innovation to build bespoke 

technical solutions that manage 

risks, increase productivity 

and encourage collaboration. 

It has built a software management 

product to support 

the global pip-fruit industry by 

using intelligence to deliver 

valuable information from data. 

Eurofins 

Eurofins Bay of Plenty has a 

30-year track record in providing 

independent high-quality 

horticultural services and solutions. 

It is the independent laboratory 

contracted by Zespri 

International to collect and 

process kiwifruit samples for 

Zespri’s export maturity clearance 

programme. 

Eurofins is developing a 

range of disruptive technologies 

to deliver a step-change 

in the economics and value of 

quality management throughout 

fruit production. 

GPS-it 

GPS-it is an aerial farm mapping 

and software development 

company specialising in 

high-quality customised geospatial 

solutions. 

It is a Tier 1 partner of 

the global GIS provider 

ESRI (Environmental Systems 

Research Institute). 

It has developed AgBox, 

a full-spectrum agricultural 

management platform, which 

is the chosen solution for ESRI 

clients. 

LANDx 

LANDx is a leading information 

technology firm delivering 

IT and communications-based 

products and services. 

LANDx works with several 

partners to integrate data 

platforms for horticultural land 

use decision-making. This also 

includes combining environmental 

data, pest and disease 

prediction. 

PlantTech is going 

to continue to 

grow our ability to 

increase value in the 

horticulture space, 

and it’s got to be 

good for the BOP.” 

– Simon Bridges 

Dr Mark Begbie and Opposition Leader Simon Bridges at 

the PlantTech launch. Photo/John Borren Photography. 

Priority One 

Priority One is the economic 

development enabler for Tauranga 

and the Western Bay of 

Plenty, established by the business 

community. 

The organisation reflects 

a collaborative partnership 

between the business community 

and local authorities, with 

substantial funding and support 

provided by businesses 

and individuals committed to 

seeing positive change through 

increased economic prosperity 

across our community. 

The backing of the business 

community lends strength, 

insight and credibility that is 

crucial as Priority One advocates 

for change to bring more 

diversity to the economy and 

build real and defensible competitive 

advantages. 

Robotics Plus 

Robotics Plus emerged from the 

need to solve the growing challenges 

in the primary industries 

globally; such as labour shortages, 

sustainability for growers, 

pollination gaps and yield 

security. From apple sorters to 

autonomous robotic kiwifruit 

pickers, it is at the forefront of 

intelligent automation in the 

horticulture sector. A highly 

research-engaged company, it 

is developing many technological 

advancements on different 

fronts with academics and other 

research partners. 

The University of Waikato 

The University of Waikato 

is strongly connected to the 

regions, in particular the Bay 

of Plenty, and its researchers 

are focused on finding solutions 

that will make a positive 

difference to the primary production 

sector. The university 

offers research, advisory and 

consultancy services to industry, 

government agencies, iwi 

and community organisations. 

The university is engaged 

in research, applied research 

and commercialisation, and 

takes a strong interdisciplinary 

approach to provide positive 

outcomes for the region. 

Its approach brings together 

expertise in business, entrepreneurship, 

big data, artificial 

intelligence, robotics, mechanical 

engineering and computer 

science to deliver marketable 

solutions for industry. 

Trimax Mowing Systems 

Trimax Mowing Systems is 

a world leader in commercial 

mowing – designing, developing, 

manufacturing and distributing 

tractor-powered mowing 

equipment. 

Its aim is to create mowing 

solutions which focus on low 

Total-Cost-of-Ownership and a 

long commercial life – releasing 

consistently innovative and sustainable 

products to the world. 

Trimax has an extensive 

research and development programme. 

As a company with 

95 per cent of sales in export, 

it is targeting a number of very 

high-value external markets 

with new and disruptive technological 

approaches 

Zespri International 

Zespri International is the 

world’s largest marketer of kiwifruit 

– selling kiwifruit into more 

than 50 countries and managing 

30 percent of the global volume. 

A consumer-driven, grower-owned 

company, it works 

with growers and post-harvest 

operators to source top-quality 

Zespri Kiwifruit and supply this 

kiwifruit through its distribution 

partners to wholesale markets 

and retail customers. 

MBIE 

PlantTech also acknowledges 

the support of the Ministry 

of Business, Innovation and 

Employment and particularly 

the Regional Research Institutes 

Fund. Their investment 

of $8.425 million was critical 

to PlantTech’s establishment 

and MBIE is a key partner for 

PlantTech’s founders in creating 

the initiative. 

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We are delighted to 

showcase in this 

month’s cover story 

the launch of PlantTech, one 

of the regional research institutes 

green lighted under the 

previous government and now 

supported by the new coalition 

government. 


Woods was present at the 

recent high powered launch in 

Tauranga of the unique collaboration 

between Priority One, 

the University of Waikato and 

eight leading exporters aimed 

at accelerating innovation. 

Late last year PlantTech 

recruited as the inaugural chief 

executive Dr Mark Begbie, 

who noted during his speech 

how impressed he had been 

during his initial recruitment 

interviews to see the longterm 

commitment to research 

and development that the 

founding companies carried 

and their can-do attitude and 

refreshingly open approach 

to collaboration. 

Paul Adams - founder of 

the city’s biggest land developer 

Carrus Corp - has been 

knighted in the Queen’s Birthday 

Honours List for his services 

to philanthropy. 

Sir Paul has played an 

influential role in the city for 

decades and is seen by the 

business community as a major 

driving force behind the city’s 

growth. 

In particular he is recognised 

for his role in helping 

bring the new University of 

Waikato campus to Tauranga’s 

downtown. 

University of Waikato 

senior deputy vice chancellor 

Alister Jones told Bay of 

Plenty Business News that 

Sir Paul had been “a passionate 

advocate” for both the 

University of Waikato and 

Tauranga. 

Until a year ago Sir Paul 

was a member of the University 

Council and he is the 

current chair of the Campus 

Development Committee. 

Scott Coulter, Comvita’s 

chief executive for the past 

four years, who has been with 

the company for 16 years, will 

step down in September. 

Former chief executive and 

Comvita director Brett Hewlett 

is taking on a temporary executive 

role to review the company’s 

underperforming assets. 

Coulter will retain a governance 

role in the manuka 

honey products company’s 

China business. 

Chairman Neil Craig said 

Coulter’s commitment to Comvita 

since joining the company 

in 2003 had been outstanding. 

“He will be most remembered 

for his pioneering work 

in developing our market 

presence in Australia, United 

Kingdom, North America and 

Asia. 

Scott has fostered the relationship 

with our Chinese 

partners over the past 16 years 

and has been a key driver of 

Comvita’s success in the China 

market.” 

Meanwhile, a visiting Italian 

biosecurity expert has 

praised New Zealand’s efforts 

to deal with a stink bug incursion 

before it happens, putting 

this country “on another 

David Porter 

planet” to his homeland. 

Professor Claudio Ioriatti, 

from the Italian agricultural 

and horticultural research centre 

Fondazione Edmund Mach 

in Torino, recently visited 

Tauranga. 

The professor told our 

writer Richard Rennie that the 

brown marmorated stink bug 

was the worst insect incursion 

northern Italy has experienced 

in recent years. 

Ministry for Primary Industries 

estimates are that a stink 

bug incursion into New Zealand 

could cost this country 

$4.2 billion in lost earnings 

by 2030. 

To date only isolated numbers 

of the bugs have been 

detected here. 

Ioriatti said New Zealand 

authorities’ approval of a 

known stink bug parasite, the 

Samurai wasp, which can be 

released should a stink bug 

outbreak occur here, means 

that if the bug arrives, NZ is in 

a good position to deal to it. 

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PlantTech a big boost for Bay Agritech 

From page 1 

5 

able to do that thing reliably, 

time and again, at a cost that 

the market could bear. 

He paraphrased agritech 

investor Michael Helmstetter, 

who has observed that the first 

pitfall comes between basic 

research and the commercialisation 

of a new product. This 

gap most often occurred when 

public investments were made 

in very early stage research 

without sufficient attention to 

the later stages of the innovation 

process. 

“I believe that there has 

been a long and widely held 

misconception that this ‘innovation 

gap’ is somehow a market 

failing,” said Begbie. 

“I suggest it is much more 

accurate to view this as a 

‘market characteristic’, that is 

an inevitable consequence of 

the desire to move from new 

knowledge to new products 

and capabilities, based on that 

knowledge. 

“We cannot plug the gap 

and walk away, somewhat 

like the boy with his finger 

in the leaking dyke. Rather, 

we must find a way to work 

together, over the long term, 

to carry promising ideas across 

the gap.” 

The next key factor was 

change, said Begbie. “The 

issue of how we realise social, 

environmental and economic 

benefit from innovation is 

more pressing now than ever.” 

He quoted Canadian Prime 

Minister, Justin Trudeau, who 

told the World Economic 

Forum in 2018: “The pace of 

change has never been this 

fast, yet it will never be this 

slow again.” 

Trudeau went on to say: 

“You are rightly anxious 

about how quickly our existing 

business models are being 

disrupted. Still, if you’re 

anxious, imagine how the 

folks who aren’t in this room 

are feeling.” 

Triple Helix 

The third thing related to the 

concept known as Responsible 

Research and Innovation 

(RRI), a term used by the European 

Union to describe scientific 

research and technological 

development processes that 

take into account the effects 

and potential impacts on the 

environment and society. 

“The means of addressing 

the first two [issues] - and 

what the RRIs are a version of 

- is what is becoming widely 

known as the Triple Helix,” 

said Begbie. 

Current thinking and the 

“triple helix” model could be 

traced back to 1949, with the 

establishment of the Fraunhofer 

Society, a three-way collaboration 

between industry, 

academia and the Bavarian 

government. 

By 1952 the society was 

formally recognised as an arm 

of non-university research, but 

it was not until 1973 that the 

Fraunhofer Model was agreed 

with the Federal Government. 

“This model established a 

long-term, sustainable partnership 

and it enabled the 

Fraunhofer organisation to 

become a global cornerstone 

of science-led industrial innovation,” 

said Begbie. 

Similar approaches are now 

established across Europe, 

North America and the 

Asia-Pacific. 

“This is a space and a mission 

that genuinely excites me, 

Science Minister Megan Woods and PlantTech chief executive Mark Begbie 

with Bluelab chief executive Greg Jarvis. Photo/John Borren Photography. 

and in which I see success as 

one - but a critical - part of 

delivering national competitive 

advantage.” 

Begbie said when he was 

approached about PlantTech, 

one of the things that attracted 

him was the clear and positive 

commitment to change taken 

by the government and MBIE, 

to dedicated triple-helix entities 

doing excellent science 

with, and for, industry. 

“Another was the manner 

in which the founding consortium 

had sought out global best 

practice and endeavoured to 

build on the shoulders of giants 

- creating a market-driven, but 

research-focused, partnership 

with customers built in.” 

The aim was to build a 

structure with the right ingredients 

to deliver outcomes and 

increase business expenditure 

on R&D through growing 

confidence in its value, added 

Begbie. 

PlantTech had managed to 

secure some excellent talent, 

said Begbie, and the real journey, 

the scientific and innovation 

journey, had now begun. 

“PlantTech’s mission is 

not to develop solutions and 

present these to a customer,” 

he said. 

“Nor is it simply to collaborate 

with partners to jointly 

create a solution, though that is 

part of the job. It is to build the 

skills, capabilities and capacity 

for companies to accelerate 

their own growth.” 

More innovation and 

improved wellbeing 


Woods, who is a former business 

manager for Crop & Food 

Research and its successor 

organisation Plant and Food 

Research, began by acknowledging 

PlantTech’s founding 

shareholders and particularly 

Priority One for its vision and 

engagement during the institute’s 

establishment phase. 

The government’s vision 

was to build a better New Zealand 

for all its people, she said. 

“A prosperous, sustainable 

future for New Zealand is one 

which means high-quality jobs 

for all New Zealanders, higher 

wages, lower environmental 

impact, more innovation, and 

improved wellbeing. 

“Science and innovation 

will help us achieve this vision 

by generating leading-edge 

ideas and knowledge that our 

industry and public services 

can apply.” 

Woods said PlantTech - 

supported by a start-up investment 

of $8.4 million through 

the government’s Regional 

Research Institute Fund - was 

positioned as an agri-tech 

innovation centre, focusing on 

the horticultural industry. 

“The Bay of Plenty is a 

regional powerhouse for the 

horticulture industry, with the 

fifth largest regional GDP and 

second highest GDP growth 

rate - it is the perfect home for 

PlantTech,” she said. 

“PlantTech shareholders’ 

commitment to R&D investment 

in this region, the University 

of Waikato’s new campus 

in Tauranga, and growing GDP 

and strong export streams, creates 

the perfect environment 

for an advanced R&D hub.” 

This would continue to 

drive economic development, 

high skill jobs, and higher 

wages for the area and New 

Zealand, she added. 

“Through robotics, autonomous 

systems and AI research, 

PlantTech will ensure the horticulture 

industry remains ahead 

of shared challenges such as 

environmental sustainability, 

labour shortage, productivity, 

climate change, and biosecurity,” 

said Woods. 

“This also gives us the 

chance to become a global 

leader in supporting customised, 

precise and automated 

production systems that are 

accessible to all scales of business 

– not only benefiting the 

New Zealand horticulture sector, 

but also impacting global 

markets with home-grown 

technologies.” 

It is an absolute pleasure 

for me to officially launch 

PlantTech Research Institute 

here today. 

PlantTech’s research and 

close collaboration with 

industry partners will be an 

important part of ensuring 

science and innovation help 

create a sustainable future for 

New Zealand. 

High tech potential 

Woods also acknowledged the 

presence at the launch of opposition 

leader Simon Bridges, 

the MP for Tauranga. 

Bridges told the Bay of 

Plenty Business News he was 

excited to see PlantTech come 

together. 

“Although it has had plenty 

of parents, this is a little bit my 

baby,” he said, having signed it 

off during his tenure as Minister 

of Economic Development. 

“When I think about 

PlantTech I think about the 

humble kiwifruit, which could 

have been an ordinary commodity 

at 30/40 cents a dollar 

and now sells in the world market 

at $10-15,” he said. 

“PlantTech is going to continue 

to be grow our ability to 

increase value in the horticulture 

space, and it’s got to be 

good for the BOP.” 

Barry O’Neil, president of 

Horticulture New Zealand, 

who was among the guests, 

told Bay of Plenty Business 

Continues page 6


Science Minister Megan Woods and PlantTech chief executive 

Mark Begbie. Photo/John Borren Photography. 

PlantTech a big boost 

for Bay Agritech 

From page 5 

News his organisation saw 

great potential for high technology 

companies to partner 

with the horticulture industry. 

That would enable PlantTech 

members providing tools that 

enabled more precision growing 

of high quality products, 

along with increased automation 

so horticulture producers 

would be able to harvest and 

pack at optimal times. 

“The fact that industry is 

equally driving this initiative 

will ensure the tech companies 

involved will not only benefit 

from the collaboration opportunities 

this provides, but will 

develop and deliver solutions 

that are far more likely to be 

picked up by our industries,” 

said O’Neill. 

Shane Stuart: key driving force 

for PlantTech. Photo/Priority One. 

Priority One chief executive 

Nigel Tutt said the fact 

they were in the room launching 

PlantTech was a testament 

to the great consortium and the 

collaboration of the business 

community in the Western Bay. 

“I was pretty new to this 

role when the PlantTech concept 

was first discussed,” said 

Tutt. 

“Having come from the 

private sector in Auckland, 

I was amazed over that first 

year in how we had a whole 

bunch of disparate companies, 

all with different markets 

and businesses, all working 

so well together. We went 

through the whole process in a 

very friendly and collaborative 

way.” 

All things considered, the 

launch of the institute had gone 

very smoothly, he added. 

“This group has worked 

amazingly well together at all 

levels. We have a great group 

of organisations in this consortium, 

with a shared purposes 

and an awesome, pos- 

I was amazed over 

that first year in 

how we had a whole 

bunch of disparate 

companies, all with 

different markets 

and businesses, 

all working so well 

together.” 

– Nigel Tutt 

R&D tax incentive 

Science Minister 

Megan Woods 

referred in her 

address to the government’s 

R&D Tax Incentive to support 

businesses to increase 

their investment in R&D. 

The R&D Tax Incentive 

is a billion dollar programme 

that has broad 

reach across all sectors of 

the economy and would 

be available from the 2019 

Tax Year. 

“It provides rules-based 

support for R&D that will 

enable businesses to invest 

with confidence. 

“There is 15 percent 

credit rate for eligible 

expenditure; a minimum 

R&D expenditure thresh- 

itive attitude. I have no doubt 

that PlantTech will provide 

immense economic value to 

the companies involved, the 

horticulture industry, and New 

Zealand in general.” 

Tutt also acknowleged other 

key contributors to the insititute’s 

creation. They included 

Bill Osborne, the inaugural 

chair, who during the past 18 

months had provided great 

structure and top level governance. 

He noted MBIE’s role and 

support. And he singled out 

Shane Stuart, the Priority One 

innovation manager. Stuart has 

been a key figure in shaping 

PlantTech and Tutt described 

him as the “driving force” with 

countless hours going into the 

old of $50,000 per year; 

and a definition of R&D 

that ensures the credit can 

be accessed across all sectors,” 

said Woods. 

“This government is 

committed to raising New 

Zealand’s expenditure on 

R&D to two percent of 

GDP in 10 years. 

“The Tax Incentive is a 

call to action for increasing 

business R&D. 

“Harnessing New Zealand’s 

capacity to innovate 

will mean we can diversify 

our economy, create higher 

value products and better 

jobs, and produce points 

of difference which enable 

New Zealand businesses to 

succeed.” 

formation of the institute. 

“This regional research 

institute fits so well with our 

focus on R&D and education 

in areas like the BOP - and it’s 

not alone,” he said. 

“Great organisations like 

Callaghan [Innovation], tech 

incubators, entrepreneurial universitities’ 

programmes and our 

local crown research institutes, 

all form part of this ecosystem. 

It’s timely too that the recent 

opening of the University of 

Waikato campus has given a 

great boost to the region. 

“This is the regional New 

Zealand we should aspire to 

being in the future, one that 

places world class R&D into 

our regions, supporting great 

local businesses.”


7 

Sir Paul Adams’ contribution 

to community recognised 

Paul Adams - the founder of the city’s 

biggest land developer Carrus Corp 

- has been knighted in the Queen’s 

Birthday Honours List for his services to 

philanthropy. 


Sir Paul has played an 

influential role in the city 

for decades and is seen 

by the business community as 

a major driving force behind 

the city’s growth, and in particular 

for his role in helping 

bring the new University of 

Waikato campus to Tauranga’s 

downtown. 

University of Waikato 

senior deputy vice chancellor 

Alister Jones told Bay of 

Plenty Business News that Sir 

Paul had been “a passionate 

advocate” for both the University 

of Waikato and Tauranga. 

“He has been extremely 

supportive of the university’s 

developments in Tauranga and 

he is constantly engaged in 

enhancing the way the university 

can make a positive contribution 

to this rapidly advancing 

city,” said Professor Jones. 

Until a year ago Sir Paul 

was a member of the University 

Council and he is the 

current Chair of the Campus 

Development Committee. 

“His time, guidance and 

advice through the campus 

development period was 

highly valued, as are his 

on-going direct contributions 

to the wider university expansion. 

Paul and his wife Cheryl 

provided a very timely and 

generous gift to establish and 

accelerate the development 

of a high performance sports 

research institute, and to facilitate 

the development of sport 

and health interdisciplinary 

teaching and research programmes. 

He also facilitated 

links between the University 

of Waikato and the University 

of California.” 

Among his other charitable 

and business roles, Sir Paul also 

served as chair of Accessible 

Properties from its establishment 

as a wholly owned subsidiary 

of IHC New Zealand in 

2010 until last year. Accessible 

Properties is now the largest 

non-government social housing 

provider in New Zealand. 

Accessible Properties chief 

executive Greg Orchard said 

Sir Paul’s commitment to providing 

good quality housing 

and tenancy services to people 

in need had been unwavering. 

“Sir Paul has long been a 

force in the housing space and 

is particularly well-known for 

developments in the Bay of 

Plenty and beyond to Wellington,” 

says Greg. 

“But his influence reaches 

far beyond his business interests 

- he has generously given 

his time and energy to social 

support organisations and 

Accessible Properties.” 

Sir Paul and his older 

brother were brought up by his 

mother, a tailoress, in a state 

house in the Hutt Valley after 

his parents split up when he 

was 11. He has noted in past 

interviews that while there was 

generally enough food to put 

on the table, there were few 

extras for solo mothers then. 

After going to Naenae College 

he worked as an engineering 

cadet with the Wellington 

Harbour Board, and qualified 

as a civil engineer, as well as 

gaining qualifications in business 

management and dispute 

resolution. 

After 10 years in the construction 

industry, he became 

the biggest player in the Bay of 

Plenty kiwifruit industry, owning 

or managing 45 orchards 

and 10 packhouses and coolstores, 

and employing 200 

people. From that he moved 

into property development 

with Carrus Corp, and went 

on to become the largest land 

developer in the Bay of Plenty, 

later expanding the business to 

Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo and 

Wellington. 

Sir Paul said in a recent 

news report on his knighthood 

that “sooner or later, socialists 

run out of other people’s 

money”, but that being recognised 

for his philanthropy 

was humbling. 

“I’m a capitalist and a private 

enterprise person, but 

I have a social conscience,” 

he said, adding that capitalism 

worked best when it 

was combined with a social 

conscience. 

In recent years his social 

endeavours have taken priority 

over his business activity. as 

well as his role until recently in 

chairing Accessible Properties, 

and the Campus Development 

Committee, he made major 

contributions to revamping the 

Bay Oval cricket ground, and 

the Adams High Performance 

Sports Centre. 

He also served on the governing 

bodies of organisations 

including state-owned enterprise 

Kordia, Te Kura Correspondence 

School, Tauranga 

Boys’ College and the Elms 

Foundation. 

He is chair of Tauranga’s 

Civic Amenities Group, which 

is seeking to provide civic 

amenities lacking in Tauranga’s 

CBD, including a new 

civic centre, performing arts 

centre, museum, hotel and 

a sports/entertainment stadium. 

Sir Paul is a patron of 

Waipuna Hospice and Te Tuinga 

Whanau Support Trust. 

He was also a founding 

director of Tauranga’s economic 

development agency 

Priority One. 

Sir Paul would like to see 

more successful people turning 

their hands to philanthropy. 

Accessible Properties Greg 

Orchard said that in Tauranga 

particularly, Sir Paul was 

involved in a network of social 

and iwi groups determined to 

end homelessness in the city. 

“He knows what a difference 

a good home makes and 

he won’t sit by and watch 

people suffer.” 

Sir Paul Adams acknowledging Carrus Corp’s corporate sponsorship win at last year’s 

Westpac Awards. Photo/Courtesy Tauranga Chamber of Commerce. 

We invite you to a FREE 

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Tauranga 

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Whakatane 

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law advice and is passionate about 

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to suit their circumstances. 

Thursday 4 July 2019 

3:00pm - 4:30pm 

Tauranga Yacht Club 

90 Keith Allen Drive 

Tauranga 

Wednesday 3 July 2019 

12:00pm - 2:00pm 

Princes Gate Hotel 

1057 Arawa Street 

Rotorua 

Thursday 25 July 2019 

2.00-3.30pm 

The Lightning Hub 

Level 1, 193 The Strand 

Whakatane


Chamber launches 

this year’s Westpac 

Tauranga Awards 

In late May, the Tauranga Chamber launched 

this year’s Westpac Tauranga Business 

Awards. This key event for local businesses 

will be held on Friday, 8 November, at the 

Trustpower Baypark Arena. 

The Online Entry process 

opens on Monday, 1 July, 

following seminars in 

June to help potential entrants 

to prepare. Entries will close 

on Thursday, 12 September. 

All businesses and not-forprofit 

organisations can enter 

themselves and any business 

or organisation can enter one 

category in its own right, or 

one sector category and one 

specialty category. Judges will 

have the discretion to consider 

all entries as contenders for 

any of the specialty categories, 

as well as for the Westpac 

Tauranga Business of the Year 

Award. There is no prior notification 

of finalists, which will 

be announced along with the 

winners on the night. 

Categories again include: 

Retail Excellence, Manufacturing 

and/or Distribution, 

Emerging Business, Manufacturing, 

Construction and 

Distribution, Tourism/Hospitality, 

Service Excellence, 

Social Enterprise, Embracing 

Digital Technology, Excellence 

in Sustainable Business 

Practices, Customer Experience, 

ACC Workplace Safety 

Award, Business Innovation 

Award, Corporate Leadership, 

and the Westpac Business of 

the Year. 

Last year’s overall Westpac 

Tauranga Business of the Year 

was Jenkins Freshpac Systems 

Limited. 

Chamber organiser Anne 

Pankhurst said that following 

the launch of the Westpac 

Tauranga Business Awards 

2019, the chamber was already 

receiving a heightened level of 

interest in entering the awards. 

“This stems from an understanding 

of the importance of 

The team from Jenkins Freshpac: celebrating their win last year as overall Westpac 

Tauranga Business of the Year winner. Photos by Natalie Murdoch Photography, courtesy 

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce. 

benchmarking your business, 

and having that independent 

assessment of your business,” 

she said. 

“More and more people 

are understanding the impor- 

tance to their business that 

assessment brings, and using 

the awards entry process to 

achieve that. Of course there is 

always that opportunity to be a 

winner and to have the added 

benefit of team buy-in and 

extra publicity that winning 

brings.” 

To enter, check out the 

chamber website or contact 

anne@tauranga.org.nz 

ExportNZ Bay of Plenty Awards finalists announced 

The finalists in the 29th 

ExportNZ Bay of Plenty 

Awards have been 

announced, from an excellent 

crop of entries received across 

a broad range of industry sectors. 

Convener of judges Barry 

Squires, orchardist at Golden 

Acres Orchard, said there had 

again been outstanding entries 

in all categories for the awards. 

“The industries that entrants 

operate in range from inbound 

tour operators to high tech and 

manufacturing, demonstrating 

the diversity of our Bay of 

Plenty economy,” he said. 

The judges are now hard 

at work on the difficult job 

of selecting the winners, 

which will be announced at 

the ‘A Night with the Stars’- 

themed awards on 21 June. 

Award-winning head writer of 

comedy show 7 Days, Nick 

Rado, will be the MC for a 

night of old-school Hollywood 

glitz and glamour. 

THE FINALISTS ARE: 

YOU Travel Best 

Emerging Business 

Award 

• Funk Estate 

• Manaaki Adventures 

Page Macrae Engineering 

Excellence in Innovation 

Award 

• BioBrew 

• Xyst 

• LawVu 

• Bluelab Corporation 

Beca Export Achievement 

Award 

• Heilala Vanilla – Ruby 

Grant, general manager of 

sales and marketing 

• Florentines Foodservice NZ 

– Gregory Knight, managing 

director 

• Ubco – Timothy Allan, 

chief executive 

Sharp Tudhope Lawyers 

Best Medium-Large 

Business Award 

• Genera 

• Automation & Electronics 

NZ 

A special award will also be 

presented on the night to the 

Service to Export Award winner, 

sponsored by the EMA. 

This award is decided by a 

panel and past winners and recognises 

a significant contribution 

to local exporting success. 

Principal sponsor Zespri’s 

chief grower and alliance 

officer David Courtney said 

that every year ExportNZ 

Bay of Plenty did a great job 

of keeping everyone entertained 

throughout the awards 

night. “Make sure you’re 

there to celebrate some of the 

Bay of Plenty’s best exporters, 

and embrace their pioneering 

spirit,” he said. 

ExportNZ Bay of Plenty 

executive officer Joanna Hall 

said this year there were a wide 

range of strong entries, including 

some new faces. 

“We are very excited to get 

the chance to tell their stories 

as the exporting stars of our 

fantastic region,” she said. 

“Every year we are blown 

away by the unique and 

dynamic business in the Bay 

of Plenty and it’s a real honour 

to be able to share them on our 

platform.” 

Tickets are available from 

http://www.bopexportnzawards.org.nz. 

Ross Craig: Natural 

empathy. Photo/ 

supplied 

Jenkins Freshpac picks 

up industry awards 

Jenkins Freshpac Systems 

have just won a prestigious 

Pride in Print industry 

award and been named finalists 

in a second category. 

The 136-year-old company, 

which provides a comprehensive 

range of printing, packaging 

and automation solutions 

for New Zealand’s fruit and 

produce industry, was a finalist 

for “Training Company of 

the Year,” while their Tauranga-based 

production manager 

Ross Craig won “Trainer of the 

Year” at the organisation’s 2019 

awards ceremony held in May. 

Tony Sayle, president of 

Print NZ and managing director 

of Jenkins Freshpac Systems 

(JFS), says flexographic printing 

is a complex process with 

hundreds of variables being considered, 

monitored and tweaked 

constantly by press operators to 

ensure a quality product. 

“Training is critical to the 

outcome and Jenkins Freshpac 

is well known for the quality of 

work we deliver, which is a true 

testament to the quality of training 

and continual development 

our staff undertakes.” 

Ross Craig joined the company 

in 2000 and is responsible 

for training numerous apprentices, 

senior printers and prepress 

and finishing staff. He 

works one-on-one with them to 

develop their skills and encourage 

growth right across JFS’s 

printing team. 

Turnover is incredibly 

low with all printers 

on staff having 

done their time and 

remained with the 

company long term, 

which is a clear signal 

of an engaged and 

dedicated crew. 

- Tony Sayle 

“Ross has the industry running 

through his veins and is 

extremely passionate about 

ensuring the highly specialised 

and advanced plant he oversees 

turns out first-rate product,” said 

Sayle. 

“His humble approach and 

natural empathy for people is 

a winning combination. Turnover 

is incredibly low with all 

printers on staff having done 

their time and remained with the 

company long term, which is a 

clear signal of an engaged and 

dedicated crew.” 

Jamie Lunam, general manager 

Jenkins Freshpac Systems, 

says building a highly skilled 

workforce is key to the printing 

industry’s future. “All of our 

departments have training budgets 

annually and the various 

managers work hard to ensure 

their respective teams maintain 

their existing skills and develop 

new ones. While there are clear 

benefits to having well-developed 

employees, JFS is a company 

that genuinely likes to see 

its people grow as those benefits 

reach far beyond the tangible 

ones delivered on the shop floor 

or in the field.” 

The judges praised the company’s 

overall approach, and 

Ross Craig in particular for having 

worked his way up through 

the industry and passing his wisdom 

onto others to ensure they 

succeed. 

“Ross spends substantial 

time encouraging trainees in the 

workplace, setting high standards, 

balancing the needs of 

the company with the requirements 

for trainees to undertake 

specific tasks, and ensuring they 

are achieving their goals,” said 

general manager of Print NZ 

Ruth Cobb. “He also undertook 

yet another qualification himself 

this year to continue his own 

passion for learning. He has 

talked the talk and is walking 

the walk.” 

The latest success came just 

months after Jenkins Freshpac 

Systems was crowned supreme 

winner at last year’s Westpac 

Tauranga Business Awards. 

Jamie Lunam says he was 

stunned and blown away by 

the accolade, having entered 

the business awards with the 

intention of using the judges’ 

feedback to improve overall 

performance. 

“These award wins are a true 

testament to our JFS team and 

validates the fact we are at the 

top of our game and constantly 

working hard to stretch and 

grow. Our team is never complacent 

and this is reflected in 

our customer relationships and 

continued growth as a specialist 

supplier to the post-harvest 

industry. We are incredibly 

proud.”


9 

Comvita chief executive to step down 

Scott Coulter, Comvita’s chief executive for 

the past four years, and has been with the 

company for 16 years, will step down this 

September. 


Former chief executive and 

Comvita director Brett 

Hewlett is taking on a 

temporary executive role to 

review the company’s underperforming 

assets. Coulter will 

retain a governance role in the 

manuka honey products company’s 

China business. 

Chairman Neil Craig said 

Coulter’s commitment to Comvita 

since joining the company 

in 2003 had been outstanding. 

“He will be most remembered 

for his pioneering work in 

developing our market presence 

in Australia, United Kingdom, 

North America and Asia,” said 

Craig in a statement. 

“Scott has fostered the 

relationship with our Chinese 

partners over the past 16 years 

and has been a key driver of 

Comvita’s success in the China 

market.” 

The honey company 

announced in April that it 

would buy out its 49 percent 

Chinese joint venture partner 

for about $20 million and has 

been effectively the sole manager 

since April 1. 

Time right for change 

Coulter told Bay of Plenty 

Business News he had chosen 

to step down once the Chinese 

business became fully owned. 

“We have got the China 

business over the line and it 

is beginning to improve,” he 

said. “We’re now looking at 

what Comvita requires to get 

to the next level.” 

Coulter said Comvita was 

an amazing business that had 

been “a labour of love” for 

many years. 

“I think it’s time for me 

from a personal perspective to 

say I’ve done what I needed to 

do and what I can,” he said. 

Scott has fostered 

the relationship with 

our Chinese partners 

over the past 16 

years and has been 

a key driver of 

Comvita’s success in 

the China market.” 

– Neil Craig 

“I’ve been promising my 

family for a long time to spend 

more time with them, on the 

boat and in the garden.” 

Coulter will remain on 

Comvita’s China board and 

maintain those links, including 

a long-standing personal 

relationship with the China 

partner. 

Comvita chief executive Scott Coulter: 

Signalling change. Photo/Supplied. 

“My role will be to govern 

that business, but over time 

help whoever comes in as CEO 

to build on that relationship,” 

he said. 

Comvita shares have 

fallen around 50 percent since 

Coulter took over the top job 

in October 2015 and the company 

has been struggling with 

poor seasonal supply and 

other issues. 

In February, Comvita 

reported a first-half net loss 

of $2.7 million, a turn-around 

from a net $3.7 million profit 

in the previous first half. 

Comvita said in a statement 

the China business was 

trading profitably and was 

a key component of a wider 

strategic review being undertaken 

by the board over the last 

12 months. 

Hewlett will head a special 

purpose board sub-committee 

charged with undertaking a 

review of the under-performing 

assets of the business as 

well as structural, balance 

sheet, leadership and organisation 

considerations. 

Specifically, the sub-committee 

will examine the possibility 

of a more formal separation 

between the “brand” and 

“supply” components of the 

business. 

External advisers will be 

retained as required to ensure 

minimal impact on the day-today 

operations of Comvita. 

Any decisions resulting 

from the review will be 

announced at the annual shareholders’ 

meeting in October, 

when the company will also 

seek any necessary shareholder 

approvals. 

“In the interim period, it 

is ‘business as usual’ in terms 

of retaining a focus on growth 

in sales, a continuing search 

for improvements in operational 

efficiencies and profit 

optimisation.” 

Total Packaging Solutions 

We would like to wish this year’s 2019 

entrants the best of luck. 

Winners of the Westpac Tauranga Business 

Excellence Awards 2018 

Winner: ‘Business of the Year’ 

Winner: ‘Embracing Digital Technology’ 

Winner: ‘Service Excellence Award’ 

Enviro Pac 

- Leaders in post harvest automation, packaging and labeling 

- Leaders in sustainable produce labeling and packaging solutions 

- 136 year old family owned business 

Bio Net


A reminder of reality 

Investment Market Update for the 

quarter ended 31 May 2019 

Global economic 

growth, and in particular 

developed economy 

growth, has been pared back 

significantly since December 

2018. 

Global manufacturing 

has been in a slump most of 

this year, with export powerhouses 

such as Germany and 

Japan likely to be suffering 

manufacturing recessions. On 

the positive side, employment 

growth has continued in most 

economies and rising household 

incomes have underpinned 

a more robust service 

sector. 

With limited 

reinvestment options, 

and interest rates 

expected to stay low 

or lower for some 

time, alternative 

investment 

options need to be 

considered. 

Weaker growth outlooks 

have caused Central Banks 

to reverse any policy bias 

towards further monetary policy 

tightening. As inflationary 

pressures have eased and 

economic data has softened, 

global bond yields have fallen. 

In China, the government has 

cut taxes and reduced interest 

costs in a bid to support the 

Chinese economy. New Zealand’s 

Reserve Bank cut the 

Official Cash Rate and other 

Central Banks have indicated 

further support will be forthcoming 

if needed. 

This monetary support, 

along with an expectation of 

a resolution to the US-China 

trade dispute, has lifted asset 

prices this year. However, in 

recent weeks as economic 

data has deteriorated and the 

trade dispute worsened, weakness 

has returned to market 

sentiment. 

Interest rate curves are now 

indicating rates will remain 

low for longer, with the US 

Federal Reserve expected 

to cut interest rates at least 

once later this year. Weakening 

market sentiment and 

economic growth also confirms 

the need for a premium-for-risk 

when investing in 

growth assets. 

Financial market impacts 

With trade concerns again 

escalating, the renewed focus 

on declining economic growth 

expectations meant most 

equity markets we follow 

declined during May 2019. 

US and Chinese markets 

bore the brunt of declines, and 

using the MSCI World Index 

as an example, the declines 

were sufficient to reverse the 

gains made in the preceding 

two months. At least the 

weaker New Zealand dollar 

helped returns from a New 

Zealand investors’ perspective, 

with the Kiwi falling 

against all currencies with the 

exception of the British pound. 

Australasian markets were 

the best performers and managed 

to buck the trend of 

losses during May 2019. Australian 

equities actually gained 

significantly during May 2019 

and managed similar returns to 

those in New Zealand over the 

quarter. 

Driving the Australian 

rally was the trifecta of the 

surprise General Election 

result replacing expectations 

of higher taxes with tax cuts, 

the banking regulator easing 

stress tests on mortgages, and 

the Reserve Bank of Australia 

indicating it would also 

lower the Official Cash Rate. 

These measures are expected 

to stabilise the housing market 

and in turn bolster household 

spending. 

New Zealand’s performance 

was helped by the large 

weighting toward defensive 

sectors. However, good valuefor-risk 

is becoming difficult 

to find. Momentum has been 

driving the market’s performance 

and the price-earnings 

multiples for these companies 

have increased significantly 

year-to-date. 

Part of the reason has been 

the level of acquisition activity 

in the New Zealand equity 

market. Other factors are low 

interest rates and insufficient 

issuance to offset the maturity 

and redemption of $1.8 billion 

of high yielding subordinated 

debt instruments, which 

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY 

> BY BRETT BELL-BOOTH 

Investment Adviser with Forsyth Barr Limited in Tauranga, and an 

Authorised Financial Adviser. Phone (07) 577 5725 or 

email brett.bell-booth@forsythbarr.co.nz. 

will occur over the next few 

months. 

With limited reinvestment 

options, and interest rates 

expected to stay low or lower 

for some time, alternative 

investment options need to 

be considered. This includes 

more diversification into international 

bond funds, as well 

as having to accept lower than 

usual fixed interest returns. 

This column is general in 

nature and is not personalised 

investment advice. This column 

has been prepared in 

good faith based on information 

obtained from sources 

believed to be reliable and 

accurate. Disclosure Statements 

for Forsyth Barr Authorised 

Financial Advisers are 

available on request and free 

of charge. 

Be benevolent in your business 

Giving is good. Good for 

the soul and, surprising 

though it may it seem, 

MONEY MATTERS 

> BY MICHELLE HILL 

Director and Partner at BDO Rotorua, Chartered Accountants 

and Advisers. To find out more visit bdorotorua.co.nz or email 

rotorua@bdo.co.nz 

good for your business. There 

is a growing trend among the 

most successful companies and 

organisations - without sacrificing 

profit and ever-valuable 

time - to incorporate an altruistic 

value and imperative into 

their organisation. 

Giving may seem to go 

against the grain of what 

businesses exist for. However, 

if done correctly you will 

find that your generosity will 

come back in more ways than 

one. Before you go spilling 

trade secrets and emptying 

your bank accounts, let’s 

investigate how best you can 

incorporate a bit of giving into 

your business. 

Empowering clients and 

customers is key to any successful 

relationship. Free, 

no-obligation meetings are a 

great way to demonstrate to 

any potential customer or client 

that they matter, and for everyone 

to understand whether they 

can work together. We live in 

an age where choice is plentiful. 

So what makes your product 

or service stand out among 

the others? Make a cost-free, 

no-obligation meeting a part of 

your company’s on boarding 

process. 

Any business 

looking to succeed 

should have 

some or all of the 

above suggestions 

imbued into any 

yearly plan. 

Company-hosted events are 

a great way to interact with 

your client base and the public 

in general. Hosting a yearly 

low/no cost event that will 

provide value and information 

of interest can solidify trust in 

your brand and provide great 

opportunities to get in front 

of and engage with those you 

would like to work with, or 

work further with. Even better, 

link up with any businesses 

you work with and expand 

your invite list while sharing 

costs. 

Despite how you may feel 

about social media, it can your 

best friend in business. What’s 

more, a well-executed plan can 

cost you nothing while providing 

a great space for your 

target market to find out more 

about what you do. Regular 

and relevant content is key, 

ensuring your online presence 

is insightful and engaging. 

Videos and images are a great 

way to stay in touch with your 

clients. Consider some regular 

industry updates too. 

Year on year newspaper 

readership is up 12.9 percent, 

according to a Roy Morgan 

survey. As a trusted source for 

industry updates and general 

business discourse, writing 

a regular column or opinion 

piece can cement your position 

as a trusted figure in a crowded 

space. Pick topics that will 

leave readers more knowledgeable, 

ensure it is relevant 

but not too specific. You can’t 

assume readers are specialists 

in your field. 

Any business looking to 

succeed should have some or 

all of the above suggestions 

imbued into any yearly plan. 

Doing so will ensure you exist 

for reasons other than just pure 

profit. If you are a business that 

exists for the betterment of the 

community and those within, 

this will come back in more 

ways than one to ensure you 

see success.


11 

To consent 

or not to 

consent? 

That is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler 

in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows 

of consumer confusion, or to take arms 

against a sea of potential troubles and by 

opposing end them. 

“What on earth is this guy 

talking about?” I hear you 

say. I’m talking about to 

consent - or not - to registration 

of an identical or similar 

trade mark to yours. 

Let me explain. The New 

Zealand Trade Marks Register 

has become very crowded, 

such are the numbers of registered 

trade marks now on it. 

It has consequently become 

quite common for a person 

seeking to register a new 

trade mark to find their application 

to do so “blocked” by 

one or more previous registrations. 

To overcome this hurdle, 

the applicant must either convince 

the trade marks examiner 

at the Intellectual Property 

Office that their mark is 

sufficiently distinctive from 

those preventing its registration, 

or it must obtain consent 

from the owners of the prior 

registrations. 

At first glance, a request 

for consent does not seem a 

particularly difficult question 

to answer. However, the consent 

request involves consideration 

of a number of issues, 

not least because the person 

asking could be a wolf in 

sheep’s clothing. 

The issues a trade mark 

owner needs to consider 

include: 

If I consent, what is the 

impact on the distinctiveness 

of my trade mark? Is confusion 

among my existing and 

potential customers likely to 

result? 

If I consent, what is the 

potential effect on where 

my business trades now and 

where it may trade in the 

future? 

If I consent, and a problem 

arises in the future because of 

how the other person has used 

their trade mark, am I prevented 

from taking action? 

If I don’t consent, will 

the other person attack my 

registration? Will they try 

and remove it from the Trade 

Marks Register to secure their 

registration? 

If I don’t consent, will the 

other person use their trade 

mark anyway, and if so, what 

is the impact on the distinctiveness 

of my trade mark 

etc? Do I need to try and stop 

them from using their trade 

mark? 

If I don’t consent, and I 

have to issue legal proceedings, 

what will those proceedings 

cost? 

If you receive a request for 

consent, therefore, consider 

all the possible ramifications 

before replying. Work out 

with (we recommend) the 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES 

> BY BEN CAIN 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells and a Resolution 

Institute-accredited mediator. He can be contacted at 07 928 4470 

(Tauranga), 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), and benc@jaws.co.nz. 

assistance of a trade mark 

lawyer whether ‘tis indeed 

nobler in the mind to suffer 

the slings and arrows of consumer 

confusion, or to take 

arms against a sea of potential 

troubles and, by opposing, 

end them. 

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Italian expert praises NZ 

stink bug approach 

A visiting Italian biosecurity expert has 

praised New Zealand’s efforts to deal with 

a stink bug incursion before it happens, 

putting this country “on another planet” to 

his homeland. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

Professor Claudio Ioriatti, 

from the Italian 

agricultural and horticultural 

research centre Fondazione 

Edmund Mach in 

Torino, recently visited Tauranga 

as part of an AgMARDT 

(Agricultural and Marketing 

Research and Development 

Trust) sponsored trip. 

Ioriatti has worked closely 

with Plant and Food Research 

staff for 25 years on both countries’ 

mutual biosecurity issues. 

The professor said the 

brown marmorated stink bug 

was the worst insect incursion 

northern Italy has experienced 

in recent years - and this in a 

country that has averaged two 

new alien species a year for the 

past 20 years. 

It first appeared in significant 

numbers in 2012, with the 

region’s plentiful and productive 

orchards providing a varied 

food source to thrive, while 

dwellings offer over-wintering 

habitat. 

“The estimated cost now to 

orchardists and growers in my 

region Trentino is 150 million 

Euro a year, so you can under- 

Every team needs a coach 

Behind every successful sports team 

is an experienced coach and business 

is no different. 

BeeNZ know this to be true and have 

partnered with Ingham Mora from the 

beginning. 

BeeNZ developed from creating an 

opportunity out of a problem. In 2005, 

Julie and David Hayes purchased beehives 

to pollinate their orchards and by 

2015, they had grown to 1200 hives and 

an MPI certified honey extraction facility. 

It was at this time they decided to design 

and build a purpose-built honey processing 

and packing facility, launch their own 

premium honey brand and begin exporting 

their product. 

The Hayes benefited from the solid 

value and support they received from Ingham 

Mora through their business journey 

from orchards to honey. 

Since the start of 2019, BeeNZ has 

participated in financial awareness training 

with Ingham Mora which has really 

helped them focus and better understand 

the big picture around their business and 

financials. 

“Having those resources as part of 

their offerings takes Ingham Mora from 

just being an accountancy firm to a fully 

immersed financial and business development 

partner for our business”. 

BeeNZ are also tapping into the seminars 

and coaching services on offer at 

Ingham Mora as BeeNZ places significant 

value on the up-skilling and development 

of their team. 

If – like BeeNZ - your business needs a 

coach and direction for the future, give our 

stand why growers want to control 

it.” 

Ministry for Primary Industries 

estimates are that a stink 

bug incursion into New Zealand 

could cost this country 

$4.2 billion in lost earnings by 

2030. 

To date only isolated numbers 

of the bugs have been 

detected. 

It means when - 

rather than if - the 

bug arrives you are in 

a very good position 

to deal to it. 

- Claudio Ioriatti 

In Italy chemical controls 

for the bug are limited to only 

two spray options, and these 

can only be applied in minimal 

amounts due to fruit retailer 

restrictions on spray use. 

Ioriatti said the silver lining 

of the bug’s presence was that 

it moved into urban dwellings 

over winter, drawing broader 

attention to its presence, and 

with that the community desire 

to do something about its control. 

He and his colleagues have 

developed a smartphone app 

for people to report bug infestations, 

including taking a photo 

and loading in location data to 

make tracking incursions in 

real time possible. 

Pheromone traps have 

proven relatively poor at trapping 

the bugs. 

Most orchards now have to 

be draped in protective netting, 

proven to be the most effective 

means of keeping the bugs out 

as they migrate back to ripening 

fruit over late spring-summer. 

But orchardists are also conscious 

they operate in a heavily 

touristic environment, where 

perceptions of Italian countryside 

do not always accommodate 

unsightly artificial netting. 

“We are selling our landscape 

to five million visitors a 

year here. Tourism is 15 percent 

of our region’s income, so 

using the netting is really something 

we would like to avoid.” 

The challenge to researchers 

like Ioriatti is compounded 

by Italian laws that prevent the 

introduction of a non-native 

species to control an embedded 

pest like the stink bug. 

New Zealand authorities 

have approved the introduction 

of a known stink bug parasite, 

the Samurai wasp, which can 

be released immediately should 

team a call to discuss how we can futureproof 

your business model, identify and 

solve issues and achieve the results you 

want. 

Level 2, 60 Durham Street 

Tauranga 3144 

07 927 1200 

www.inghammora.co.nz 

Professor Claudio Ioriatti: recently 

addressed biosecurity experts in 

Tauranga. Photo/Richard Rennie. 

a stink bug outbreak occur here. 

“It means when - rather than 

if - the bug arrives you are in 

a very good position to deal to 

it,” he said. 

“We are required to find a 

native enemy in Italy and have 

a parasite species, but unfortunately 

the parasitism rate is 

only 17 percent - it’s too low.” 

Researchers are studying 

their options, which also 

Strong growth in volume 

and value across all kiwifruit 

categories in the 

completed season has resulted 

in Zespri reporting operating 

revenue from global sales and 

licence release revenue exceeding 

$3 billion for the first time. 

Zespri chair Bruce Cameron 

says growers and their communities 

are benefiting from 

increasing demand for Zespri 

kiwifruit and from the industry’s 

growth to drive and meet 

that demand. 

“Consumers around the 

world are increasingly embracing 

healthier products and want 

more of our kiwifruit because 

they know it is a convenient 

way to get their daily nutrition 

and because it tastes great,” said 

Cameron. 

The results reflect continued 

strong international demand, 

with Zespri selling a total of 

167.2 million trays of kiwifruit 

in 2018/19, a 21 percent 

increase on the 138.6 million 

trays sold in the previous season. 

Revenue generated by 

global kiwifruit sales and Sun- 

Gold licence release increased 

by 26 percent to $3.14 billion. 

Total fruit and service payments 

(including the loyalty premium) 

to New Zealand growers 

was up 24 percent to $1.82 billion, 

while average orchard gate 

returns to growers increased by 

6 percent to $63,622 per hectare 

for Green Kiwifruit, by 28 

percent to $145,991 per hectare 

for SunGold, by 40 percent to 

$73,350 for Green Organic and 

by 14% to $44,549 per hectare 

for Sweet Green. 

Cameron said increased 

volumes of both Green and 

SunGold Kiwifruit Zespri sold 

last season had driven record 

average returns per hectare for 

both categories. While Sun- 

Gold also returned record levels 

per tray, Green returns per tray 

were down slightly because 

of higher-than-expected volumes 

which led to an extended 

sales window and associated 

increases in quality costs. 

“The sustained growth of 

the industry is really encouraging 

and the increase in average 

returns is helping growers meet 

increasing operational costs 

including labour,” he said. 

“Zespri’s ongoing success 

include the use of Sterile Insect 

Technique. This involves 

releasing overwhelming numbers 

of sterile male insects into 

the wild to mate with females, 

with no offspring produced. 

“This is a potential tool for 

us as we await the opportunity 

[to introduce] the right parasite.” 

Ioriatti said he was deeply 

impressed by the level of bios- 

ecurity awareness projects like 

the Better Border Biosecurity 

project launched in Tauranga 

has brought, and the ability of 

policymakers, communities 

and scientists to work together 

on biosecurity issues. 

“Sooner or later the stink 

bug will arrive here, but you 

can use this time you have to 

take a sustainable approach to 

deal with the incursion.” 

Zespri operating revenue 

exceeds $3 billion 

reflects the important partnerships 

we have and continue to 

build with our customers, distributors, 

post-harvest operators 

and growers, and is a strong 

endorsement of our 12-month 

supply strategy and ambition to 

market the world’s leading portfolio 

of kiwifruit year-round.” 

Licence revenue and 

royalties boost earnings 

Zespri’s net profit after tax 

increased to $179.8 million 

from $101.8 million in 2017/18, 

reflecting the strong season 

results This was boosted by revenue 

from the ongoing SunGold 

licence release programme and 

increased revenue from new 

cultivar royalties. 

Gross revenue of $192.6 

million was generated by the 

2018/19 round of SunGold 

licence release – the second in 

a five-year programme of annually 

releasing 700ha of SunGold 

conventional and 50 ha of Sun- 

Gold organic licence to New 

Zealand growers (subject to 

annual review). 

Zespri charges a royalty of 

three percent to licensed growers, 

which is split between 

Zespri and Plant & Food 

Research. Zespri’s share of 

royalties was $28.4 million, 

an increase of 37 percent from 

the previous year, reflecting 

both higher volumes and value 

earned on sales this season. 

The total dividend per share 

in the 2018/19 financial year 

is expected to be $0.92 versus 

$0.50 in 2017/18. These dividend 

figures take into account 

the impacts of the targeted share 

issue/buy-back and three-fortwo 

share split transactions 

during the financial year which 

were aimed to better align the 

ownership of shares with Zespri 

growers. 

Outlook for 2019/20 

Zespri chief executive officer 

Dan Mathieson said strong 

growth was forecast again 

this year. 

“We’re very pleased with the 

progress made in the 2018/19 

season, but as always we’re 

focused on doing better, delivering 

the world’s best kiwifruit 

to consumers and creating more 

“We’re also broadening our 

sales channels and getting 

closer to the consumer to help 

us understand what they want 

and what we can do better.” 

- Dan Mathieson 

value for our growers, and all 

of our partners. Our ambition 

is to help drive greater value 

through growing new markets 

and increase our penetration in 

existing ones.” 

Mathieson said Zespri was 

continuing to see strong growth 

in its largest markets, including 

Japan, China and Spain, and 

making real progress in newer 

ones like the US. 

“We’re also broadening 

our sales channels and getting 

closer to the consumer to 

help us understand what they 

want and what we can do better, 

and focusing on improving 

our environmental and social 

impact which is an important 

part of our purpose and brandled 

strategy,” he said. 

Zespri is expected to release 

additional details on its 2018/19 

season when its annual report is 

released in late June. 

- By DAVID PORTER

Packhouse takes 

lead with robotics 

As the kiwifruit picking season met its frenetic peak in late 

May, Apata Group managers were busy monitoring key robotic 

technology just commissioned to help deal with the growing 

challenge of staffing in the sector. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

This season marked a 

significant first for 

some state-of-the-art 

technology installed by Apata 

Group, one of the region’s 

leading post-harvest operators. 

It is the culmination of 

more than $15 million spent 

in the past few years upgrading 

its packing facilities. 

Production manager Hans 

van Leeuwen said close liaison 

between two key European 

fruit sorting and packaging 

companies - Maf Roda of 

France and Niverplast of the 

Netherlands - has delivered 

Apata with some bespoke 

equipment. The technology 

was the first of its kind in 

kiwifruit processing anywhere 

in the world, he said. 

“Some of this technology 

has been employed in other 

areas, like apple packing, but 

they are very excited about 

the opportunities on offer 

here in New Zealand with 

kiwifruit.” 

The company’s Mends 

Lane pack-house east of Te 

Puke has had two high speed 

sorting systems running for 

the past three years, each 

capable of checking and 

grading 7000 trays an hour. 

Using leading-edge near 

infra-red camera technology, 

the lines photograph each 

piece of fruit with a dozen 

different light spectrums, 

determining quality parameters 

including brix levels, dry 

matter and flesh colour. 

Algorithms can then calculate 

what grade that fruit 

is, based on the behaviour of 

the light spectrums hitting the 

fruit. Weigh technology can 

weigh 60 fruit a second 30 

times for weight accuracy to 

one tenth of a gram, before 

splitting it off onto packing 

benches. 

For us it is a case of 

focusing on what we 

can do on the floor, 

and re-allocating that 

finite resource of 

people to picking. 

- Stuart Weston 

However, in light of growing 

crop volumes and evertightening 

labour supply, the 

company was looking to push 

automation and robotics further 

down the packing line, 

into the labour intensive areas 

of folding, packing and sealing 

fruit cartons. 

In past weeks van Leeuwen 

and his colleagues have 

been overseeing the commissioning 

of a Maf Roda robotic 

packing machine. 

In what van Leeuwen said 

was a world first, the machine 

has been developed to pick up 

the required number of kiwifruit 

via air suction and gently 

place them in their single 

layered flat tray, in amounts 

ranging from 24-34 per tray. 

“Our best packer will 

do three trays a minute, the 

machine will do 22.” 

Meantime the larger 10kg 

bulk boxes are now also 

packed by robotic box fillers, 

which allocate the correct 

weight of fruit, level it off 

and seal the box up before 

finally placing a full traceability 

label on its side. 

“Even the labelling, which 

may seem a simple enough 

job, is hard to do manually 

in a repetitive consistent 

way. It is some of these small 

changes that soon add up.” 

Van Leeuwen said the 

two key priorities for robotic 

use were to increase packing 

speed within the typically 

limited space constraints that 

every pack-house had. 

Apata Group production manager Hans van Leeuwen, and site manager Nav 

Singh at the company’s Mends Lane packhouse. Photo/Richard Rennie. 

Improving productivity 

“We are finding these machines offer 

us a compact footprint. And while it is 

early days, productivity is promising.” 

He and Apata Group chief executive 

officer Stuart Weston stressed the technology 

was not putting staff out of work, 

but rather giving the company the opportunity 

to reallocate the positions. 

“For every worker in the orchard 

there are 2.5 in the pack house. So for 

us it is a case of focusing on what we 

can do on the floor, and re-allocating 

that finite resource of people to picking,” 

said Weston. 

Automation is playing out in two 

arenas within the industry at present, 

within pack houses and on orchards 

with the design and construction of 

autonomous harvesting platforms 

developed by Tauranga company 

Robotics Plus. 

Weston said all post-harvest processors 

are facing the same issues of labour 

constraints, with the overheads in securing 

and housing labour quite prohibitive. 

“We are told we will need about 

another 6000 in coming years, and no 

one really seems to know where we 

would get them from, and where we 

would even house them.” 

He said the industry had three key 

capital-intensive areas competing for 

funding as fruit volumes continue to 

grow. These are automation, staff accommodation 

and cool store facilities. 

“This pack house [Mends Lane] is 

something of a beta test bed for new 

technology,” said Weston. 

“If we can get the pack house operating 

on a true 24/7 basis using this technology, 

we stand to increase its productivity 

by 50 percent.” 

BEWARE OF FOREIGN IMITATIONS. 

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But for an innovative bunch, we’re not the best at 

realising the full potential of our innovations, particularly 

when exporting them. 

At James & Wells, we can identify your competitive 

edge, offer business strategies for specific markets and 

help you own and leverage your intellectual property to 

ensure no one steals the fruit of your labour. 

www.jaws.co.nz | +64 7 928 4470

The price for deception 

We have all heard the saying, I wouldn’t 

do this or that for a million dollars. In my 

experience this is seldom true, save for the 

physically impossible or morally extreme 

behaviour. 

After 13 years in the 

credit management 

and investigations field 

I have found that there are 

LINK Tauranga 

celebrates 10 years 

LINK Tauranga celebrates 10 years of 

selling businesses in the booming Bay 

of Plenty region. 

From humble beginnings in 2009, 

squashed into a small office with two Brokers, 

the LINK Tauranga team now consists 

of over 15 specialised Business Brokers 

(with a combined experience of over 150 

years), plus four full-time support staff. We 

are now the largest specialised business brokerage 

company outside of Auckland. 

Our mission statement is simple: 

To facilitate the sale of businesses ethically, 

confidentially and with the utmost 

of integrity. 

Our exceptional success rate attests to 

the quality of our Brokers and our focus on 

successful outcomes for all parties, while 

also establishing awareness of broking as a 

professional and specialist service. 

At LINK, our team is made up of very 

carefully selected Business Brokers, all of 

whom have extensive previous business 

experience, and who manage a wide and 

varied range of key industry sectors. We 

professionally facilitate the sale of the small 

“one-man (or woman) band” businesses 

through to businesses over $1M, assisted by 

our Corporate Team. 

Our entire team at LINK is committed 

to providing you with the absolute highest 

level of service throughout your exciting 

journey of either buying, or selling, a business. 

On behalf of all the team at LINK Bay 

of Plenty, we would like to thank all our 

Clients over the last 10 years, and we look 

forward to assisting our new Clients in the 

future. 

Steven Matthews 

NZ Development Manager 

certain financial levels that 

are dependent on the debtor’s 

relationship with the creditor. 

I often hear from creditors: 

26 Fourth Ave Tauranga 

PO Box 257, 3110, Bay of Plenty, 3140 

Phone: +64 7 579 4994 

Email: bayofplenty@linkbusiness.co.nz 

linkbusiness.co.nz 

CREDIT MANAGEMENT 

> BY NICK KERR 

Nick Kerr is Area Manager BOP for EC Credit Control NZ Ltd. 

He can be reached at nick.kerr@eccreditcontrol.co.nz 

A somewhat difficult 

or uncomfortable 

conversation at the 

start of a loan will 

always be easier to 

handle while both 

parties are on good 

terms and the debtor 

is more interested in 

getting the funds than 

being offended by a 

piece of paper. 

“I’m sure he will pay, he is a 

mate” or “I never expected 

this from her seeing as we are 

family”. Then when I see the 

amount, it will normally fall 

into a familiar range. 

The pattern that I have 

observed is that otherwise 

seemingly honest debtors 

(without major addiction drivers) 

will be willing to sacrifice 

a friendship for no less than 

$2500, and a familial relationship 

for no less than $10,000. 

One important caveat to 

this, particularly in the Bay 

of Plenty, is in the case of 

Methamphetamine addiction, 

where we have seen some horrendous 

acts of dishonesty for 

sums as little as $100. 

What makes these deceptions 

easier and the event more 

frequent as well as harder to 

remedy, is that the closer the 

relationship, the less likely the 

parties are to have a binding 

written agreement between 

them. 

This is even in cases of one 

party personally guaranteeing 

a loan for the other from an 

institutional lender (usually 

auto loans). In such cases, the 

lender normally has a rock 

solid agreement that binds the 

guarantor to the debt. But in 

cases that there is no agreement 

between the principal 

debtor and the guarantor, the 

cost and difficulty of resolving 

the debt is multiplied. 

The lack of documentation 

also serves another negative 

purpose. It removes the right 

to register of a legally valid 

credit default that will impact 

the debtors’ ability to access 

lending in the future. And that 

makes F&F (friends and family) 

lending more likely, perpetuating 

the cycle. 

The only way to enforce 

these unwritten agreements 

and be able to default list is 

to obtain a legal judgement, 

often at the creditors’ cost. 

This is all well and good, but 

if you consider that the debtor 

has already ignored their obligations 

to a party that they 

have an outside relationship 

with, how likely are they to 

comply with a faceless organisation 

or a legal administrative 

office? 

What private lenders must 

always remember is that 

familiarity does not always 

equal importance in the mind 

of the debtor. In my experience, 

the closer the relationship 

can often just make 

it more likely the lender is 

expected to “write off” the 

debt in deference to the rela- 

tionship. 

There is also death to consider. 

Undocumented pre-mortum 

loans are often the subject 

of estate litigation. If any 

readers have been involved in 

such litigation in their lives, 

they will know that this often 

spells the end of any kind of 

retrievable relationship. In my 

experience success in such 

litigation is greatly compromised 

if the debtor claims that 

the “loan” was in fact a “gift”. 

The unwritten intentions of 

those who have passed away 

are, in my experience, impossible 

to prove beyond a doubt. 

A somewhat difficult or 

uncomfortable conversation at 

the start of a loan will always 

be easier to handle while both 

parties are on good terms and 

the debtor is more interested 

in getting the funds than being 

offended by a piece of paper. 

And as I always say, if they 

won’t sign, they won’t pay. 

Just a thought.


15 

Ensure your accountant 

can weather the storms 

I 

think that when it comes 

to buying a business an 

accountant can be like making 

sure you have the right 

life jacket. 

#1. 

Imagine you are out on the 

open seas in a small boat. You 

aren’t wearing a life jacket. 

But the weather is fine now 

so no worries. However, soon 

after a storm closes in, the 

BETTER BUSINESS BUYING 

> BY TOM BESWICK 

Director at Ingham Mora Chartered Accountants in Tauranga, is a 

business advisor who specialises in buying and selling businesses. 

He can be contacted on 027-5744- 019 or tom@inghammora.co.nz 

Buying a business can be a stressful and 

risky time. It is important to get great 

advice. I believe that when it comes to 

your accountant , it’s wise to choose one 

who specialises in helping people buy 

businesses. The following three scenarios 

prove my point. 

waves get bigger and then 

your vessel capsizes. Bet you 

wish you had found a life 

jacket earlier – it’s too late 

now. 

I’ve worked with people 

who have bought a business 

and gone through the whole 

process using a combination 

of the business broker, their 

lawyer, their banker and their 

own nous. And sometimes 

that works fine for them. Just 

like how most of the time you 

don’t need that life jacket – 

until you really do. 

Buying a business can be 

expensive. But the cost of 

getting good advice is nothing 

compared with buying a 

business that isn’t as good as 

it was cracked up to be. 

An accountant who is a 

business buying expert is 

worth involving early on. 

They can help you ask the 

right questions, avoid many 

risks (including over-paying) 

and structure the purchase 

properly for asset protection 

and tax. Finding out that the 

projections were wrong six 

months in can leave you under 

water, and wishing you’d put 

that life jacket on earlier. 

# 2. 

You go looking for a life 

jacket while you are cruising 

out of the harbour. You find 

one - but it’s four sizes too 

big, the zip is broken, and it 

has a pretty overpowering 

smell of mould. But it’s better 

than nothing. 

Let’s say you are thinking 

about buying a business. 

You go see the local accountant 

because you figure one 

accountant’s as good as the 

next one. Even if they only 

help one or two clients a year 

buy businesses and most of 

their work relates to rentals. 

Yes, they can give you 

advice about what to look for 

when buying the company. 

And there’s a decent chance 

most of the advice will be correct. 

But do they understand 

the buying process properly 

so you can avoid all the most 

common risks? Can they 

help you get that deal over 

the line? What about helping 

you get the best finance deal? 

Sometimes there’s some time 

pressure in the process – can 

they keep up? Will their service 

be enough to keep you 

afloat? Or have you taken an 

unnecessary risk? And when 

that wave comes will your 

jacket will be too big and slip 

off? 

In this scenario you have 

covered some of your bases 

by getting advice, but sometimes 

good is the enemy of 

great, and your new business 

might not be in as safe hands 

as you think. 

#3. 

You’ve brought your own life 

jacket, the zips all work, it 

even has a whistle - perfect. It 

keeps you safe no matter what 

the sea throws at you. 

You are far better off finding 

an accountant who you 

trust, who can give expert 

advice about buying businesses, 

who has time for you 

and is invested in making sure 

you have the skills to run a 

good business. 

Your life jacket should 

make you feel safe so you can 

step into the unknown with 

your new business confident 

that you’ve done all you can 

to protect yourself. Can you 

afford not to take the safest 

option?


NEW FACES 

Bethlehem Town Centre 

welcomes a new manager 

Bethlehem Town Centre’s new Centre 

Manager Janet Vincent brings extensive 

management experience to the 

role. Janet in recent years has worked in 

similar roles in retail where she has held 

marketing and management positions in 

her home town of Christchurch. She also 

has a strong history in the aviation sector 

holding key management roles within 

the airlines, ground handling and airport 

authority. 

They say aviation gets in your blood but 

Janet was surprised once moving to real 

estate management in a shopping centre 

how many synergies there were”. 

The opportunity to manage Bethlehem 

Town Centre was for Janet the ideal fit, 

as she says, “Bethlehem is a flourishing 

shopping centre, that offers everything. 

I love working in an outdoor centre and 

particularly a centre that is a central part 

of its local community.” With this in mind 

the maintenance of such strong links to 

the community remain to the forefront of 

Bethlehem Town Centre’s future plans. 

The location, the weather, the opportunities 

and friendly welcoming people 

have assisted in a seamless transition from 

Christchurch to Tauranga. 

Retail is a highly competitive and 

ever-changing environment and Janet 

believes strong, effective relationships and 

a collaborative approach with your business 

partners is key to the ongoing success 

Janet Vincent 

of the centre. 

People and relationships are paramount 

in any industry. And of course – customers 

are everything! You need to understand 

your demographic and try and meet their 

fast-changing wants and needs. As much 

as competition is always a consideration, 

we have to be confident in our own place 

in the market and retain our own unique 

identity. 

Janet Vincent 

Phone: 07 579 2560 

Address: 19 Bethlehem Road, 

Bethlehem, Tauranga, New Zealand 

www.shopbethlehem.co.nz 

New Faces, Trusted 

Brand 

Two new faces for a 

company that has just 

celebrated it’s 68th 

year in business. Drake 

New Zealand is excited to 

introduce Donna Wallace, 

their new Branch Manager 

for the Tauranga branch 

and Linda Fivaz, Senior 

Consultant. 

Donna brings an extensive 

background in sales 

and management, with 

recruiting the right people 

being a large part of her 

success. She is excited to 

work with such a well-recognised 

and trustworthy 

company. 

Linda joins Drake with 

10 years-experience within 

the recruitment industry. 

Her expertise is in blue collar recruitment 

and she is focused on ensuring her customers 

keep coming back. Whatever their 

staffing needs are, she will find the solution. 

In addition to permanent and temporary 

recruitment, Drake also provides “unbundled 

recruitment”, offering each aspect of 

the recruitment process on a pay-as-you-use 

model. Does your business need help with 

onboarding new starters? Drake can assist 

with a tailored onboarding programme. Do 

you want to understand how to engage with 

your staff more? Drake can deliver and 

analyse a company engagement survey. A 

little unsure of making an offer? Drake can 

provide a personality assessment to ensure 

you make the right hire, the first time. 

Curious to find out more? Give Donna 

or Linda a call on 571-0283, or email 

dwallace@nz.drakeintl.com, lfivaz@ 

nz.drakeintl.com. Let’s grab a coffee and 

see what we can do for you. 

Phone: 571-0283 

Email: dwallace@nz.drakeintl.com 

www.nz.drakeintl.com 

Yorb welcomes Senior Sales 

and Technical Coordinator, 

Selwyn West 

Yorb are proud to launch in the Bay of 

Plenty and welcome Selwyn West as 

their Sales and Technical Coordinator. 

Their purpose is simply to help businesses 

achieve more. They focus on you, 

the client. They aim to help businesses see 

technology as an enabler to solve problems, 

create value and provide market advantage 

for their clients. 

Selwyn West joined Yorb at the start 

of 2019 to help us grow within the Bay of 

Plenty region. He brings a set of skills in 

both IT and Sales to Yorb and we are looking 

forward to drawing on Selwyn’s past 

experiences to enhance our capabilities and 

build our business. With over 25 years in 

the IT industry he has worked in roles from 

Technical Support and Engineering through 

to IT Management, Project Management 

and Sales, as well as having a well-rounded 

understanding of the technology challenges 

businesses face. 

Selwyn is excited about the opportunities 

to work with business owners to 

understand their goals and help them grow, 

improving their business by using technology 

that suits their needs. 

Selwyn and his wife have lived in Tauranga 

for 20 years, with their two kids. 

Selwyn spent time at Yorb’s head office in 

Selwyn West 

Palmerston North, giving him the opportunity 

to get to know the business and the 

people. “Yorb has an innovative and fresh 

approach to an otherwise traditional IT 

industry, and a commitment to core values 

of loyalty, honesty and integrity.” 

Phone | 0800 600 606 

Mobile | 027 555 3181 

Email | selwyn.west@yorb.tech 

www.yorb.tech 

Special Programs Security 

– Investigations, Protection 

and Security Consulting 

Services 

Dwayne Morgan has a background 

in the military (ex-soldier), law 

enforcement (ex-police officer/detective) 

and is the founder and owner of Special 

Programs Security Consulting, a specialist 

security company that offers services 

to businesses and individuals in Investigations, 

Personal Protection and Security 

Consulting. 

Special Programs Security Investigations 

is capable of conducting all facets of 

investigation, from looking into infidelity 

through to complex business matters such 

as fraud. They conduct investigations of 

any kind internally and externally for companies 

and individuals and can also complete 

criminal investigations. Their investigation 

capability is supported by several 

specialist investigative techniques both 

overt and covert and they also offer the 

ability to serve documents. 

Consulting on security requirements for 

companies and individuals can range from 

basic needs through to complex requirements 

including risk assessments, cyber 

and network security, communications 

security etc. Special Programs Security can 

consult on all your security needs. 

Close Protection is a very specialist area 

that Special Programs Security can offer 

including everything from VIP driver functions 

through to complete protection teams. 

We can supply vehicles for jobs or use a 

client’s own vehicle. 

Dwayne Morgan 

All staff come from specialist backgrounds 

and are experts in their field. 

For a confidential discussion about your 

requirements, contact us today. 

Special Programs Consulting 

Phone: 027 576 7616 

dwayne@specialprogramssecurity.co.nz 

www.specialprogramssecurity.co.nz

... NEW FACES 


17 

Rachael Gemming 

Building a better working world 


EY recently opened an office in Tauranga 

to help local businesses capitalise 

on new opportunities and help 

deliver growth. The team is expanding 

with Rachael Gemming recently joining, 

who is a Chartered Accountant and experienced 

tax professional, having spent the 

last 18 years with the IRD. Rachael is 

excited about the opportunities EY brings 

to the Bay of Plenty region. 

Rachael is helping local businesses 

by connecting them with the wider EY 

network and bringing this global knowledge 

to the local market. Our coordinated 

tax professionals offer connected services 

across all tax disciplines to help businesses 

thrive in an era of rapid change. 

The broader EY team, through our 

four integrated service lines — Assurance, 

Advisory, Tax and Transaction Advisory 

Services – help our clients address their 

toughest challenges, ensuring their business 

is fit for a digital future. 

Rachael says at EY, our purpose is 

Building a better working world. The 

insights and quality services we provide 

help build trust and confidence in capital 

marketsand the economy. We believe a 

better working world is one where economic 

growth is sustainable and inclusive 

and we work continuously to improve the 

quality of our services, investing in our 

people and innovation. 


Associate Director | Tax 

Phone: 027 215 8122 

Email: Rachael.Gemming@nz.ey.com 

Address: The Vault, 53 Spring Street, 

Tauranga 

www.ey.com/nz 

Global digital guru 

joins Cucumber 

As New Zealand’s guru of sports 

data, Adrian Lepou brings years 

of digital skills and expertise 

to Cucumber. Not only is this a win for 

Cucumber but a win for the Bay of Plenty. 

Having Adrians global experience available 

locally, gives Bay of Plenty businesses 

access to world-class commercial 

and digital acumen. 

Adrian is not only a digital guru, but 

also brings a high level of strategic and 

creative thinking to his work. He lists his 

other skills as digital strategy, content 

creation, commercialisation and delivery, 

rights holders partner negotiations, 

sponsorship acquisition and execution, 

contract negotiations, rugby league coach 

and more. 

Adrians says, “as a coach I always to 

my players to look for where the gaps 

on the field are, coz that’s where the 

opportunities also are. I have the same 

approach to business – identify the gaps 

and run there to extract value and learnings 

that can be applied, making you 

a better player and contributor to your 

team.” 

This theme of team contribution and 

people first, also flows through into what 

his customers and colleagues say about 

him. The main theme, is his genuine care 

for people and seeing them succeed. 

For Cucumber this is a perfect storm 

Adrian Lepou 

of skills. The professional skill and digital 

knowledge combined with someone 

that genuinely cares about his customers 

and their business results. We look forward 

to our customers and the Bay business 

community getting to know Adrian. 

Adrian Lepou 

Phone: 027 633 2999 

Address: 78 Wharf Street, Tauranga 

www.cucumber.co.nz 

Tompkins Wake 

Bryce Caption Davey, Partner 

As the law firm at the centre of New 

Zealand’s economic and commercial 

heartland, opening an office in Tauranga 

was a natural progression for Tompkins 

Wake. 

A full-service commercial law firm with 

over 70 legal staff (including 22 partners), 

Tompkins Wake is in New Zealand’s Top 

15 law firms by size, serving clients in the 

‘golden triangle’ of the North Island from 

our offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua 

and now Tauranga. 

“We are different from other law firms 

in the way we think, work and behave. We 

value the diversity of our team across the 

firm which gives us originality in our thinking 

and approach. Our diversity fuels our 

culture. 

As the law firm clients turn to on the 

matters most important to them, Tompkins 

Wake provides a full range of legal services 

with key capability in the following areas: 

• Transactions – obtaining successful outcomes 

in high value transactions. 

• Projects – delivering complex construction, 

property and infrastructure projects. 

• Disputes – protecting clients facing 

legal claims or regulatory prosecutions. 

• Private Client - working with families 

to protect and grow the things most 

important to them through asset planning, 

trusts and relationship property 

advice. 

Our Tauranga team is led by Bryce 

Davey, a partner with over 20 years’ experience. 

Ranked as a Recommended Lawyer 

by The Legal 500, Bryce is a specialist corporate 

and commercial lawyer with extensive 

experience in advising clients on buying, 

selling and investing in businesses. His 

understanding of deal dynamics in a range 

of situations allows him to proactively suggest 

solutions to issues to ensure these do 

not become roadblocks to completing the 

deal. In addition, Bryce regularly advises 

clients on a wide range of matters including 

construction contracts, joint ventures, 

financing, corporate governance and compliance 

issues. 

Rachel Scott is also based in Tauranga. 

She is an experienced civil litigator with a 

particular interest in insolvency and company 

law. She has a unique practice in tax 

disputes and the Commissioner of Inland 

Revenue’s powers having practiced in this 

area for over 12 years, including a role as 

in-house Counsel for the Commissioner of 

Inland Revenue. 

Tompkins Wake is based in the heart 

of Tauranga City, with our office located 

at The Vault, 53 Spring St. Our team is 

approachable and happy to discuss how 

Tompkins Wake can assist you. 

Phone: 07 839 4771 

Address: 53 Spring Street Tauranga 

www.tompkinswake.co.nz 

Felicity Farrell 

Mediaworks Rotorua appoints 

local General Manager 

MediaWorks has made the move to 

appoint a designated Rotorua based 

General Manager for our Rotorua 

Branch to support the ‘Keeping it Local’ 

ethos. 

Felicity Farrell our new GM has worked 

at MediaWorks since 2010 across multiple 

departments including On-Air, Promotions, 

Research, and Inventory. 

Leaving Auckland and her previous role 

of Head of Radio Inventory, Felicity has 

brought her family including her 18 month 

old son, Husband, Mum, and the two Labradors 

to Rotorua. She grew up on a farm in 

the Awhitu Peninsula and is excited to get 

back to a tight knit community, and enjoy 

the Rotorua way of life. 

Announcer Max Goodman is the new 

local Rotorua voice with his day show on 

More FM from 10 - 3. This allows us to 

speak directly to, and get involved on the 

ground with our community. 

With a Rotorua based sales team, a 

superstar promotions department, and our 

local content; MediaWorks is proud to be 

the number one network in Rotorua with 

over 30,700 listeners a week across our 

brands The Edge, The Rock, More FM, The 

Breeze, The Sound, Mai FM and Magic 

Music & Talk. 

We also have a full digital offering 

across our Radio websites, Three, Newshub, 

Rova, Bravo and ThreeNow. 

Give us a call to find out how advertising 

with Mediaworks could work for you. 

Felicity Farrell 

General Manager 

07 921 7630 | 022 621 0640 

felicityfarrell@mediaworks.co.nz 

www.mediaworks.co.nz


Low interest rates can build growth, 

says Kiwibank’s economist 

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr made 

a strong case during a recent presentation 

in Tauranga for the government to take 

advantage of historically low interest rates 

to invest in badly needed infrastructure 

development. 


Addressing a large crowd 

at Mills Reef, Kerr took 

the audience on a fascinating 

tour of recent and 

historic economic and interest 

rate trends. 

In particular, he underlined 

his view that the recent budget 

had not done enough to bed in 

higher levels of GDP growth, 

and that the government was 

wrong to stick to its position of 

fiscal responsibility. 

“The point I’ve been making 

for a year and half is that 

we need more growth and that 

growth needs to come from 

infrastructure - that’s economics 

101,” he said. 

“For some reason Wellington 

doesn’t get it. What the 

[latest] budget showed us is we 

have had some good growth, 

the government’s coffers have 

filled up, but now growth has 

come off. “ 

Currently estimates were 

for annual GDP growth of 

around 2.75 percent. But given 

inflation remained low, the 

country really needed to grow 

at three percent and above, 

he said. 

It was likely that the government 

would spend more in 

the coming year to raise the 

rate of growth, he suggested. 

Kiwibank, the Treasury 

and Reserve Bank predictions 

all tended to agree that there 

would be a lift in growth, 

largely off fiscal spending, in 

the run-up to the next election, 

he said. 

“Are we going into an election 

with this? I think we’ll 

The point I’ve been 

making for a year 

and half is that we 

need more growth 

and that growth 

needs to come from 

infrastructure - that’s 

economics 101.” 

– Jarrod Kerr 

Kiwi 

businesses 

are 

the 

backbone 

of the 

NZ 

economy. 

We're 

the 

bank 

that has 

your 

back. 

see more spending coming 

through.” 

Kerr noted that there had 

been little inflation pressure 

for the past seven years and 

the new Reserve Bank of NZ 

governor [to come]was likely 

to cut the cash rate again to ty 

and get the inflation rate up to 

around two percent, he said. 

The government wanted to 

keept net debt as a percentage 

of GDP down to 20 percent, he 

said. 

“We are already there, why 

keep it there? Why are we 

fighting tooth and nail to take 

growth away from an economy 

when we really haven’t heated 

it up because of the fiscal 

responsibility rules?” 

Kerr stated that it had never 

been cheaper to borrow money 

cheaply and long term, adding 

that to do so would have no 

impact on international agencies 

such as Moody’s and S&P 

NZ debt ratings. 

During a post-budget meeting 

with the leading debt rating 

agencies, Kerr said he had 

been told by them that NZ had 

plenty of have plenty of room 

to move, and had less debt 

than most countries. 

“It’s a really good starting 

point, because we’ve done a 

really good job in the past,” he 

said. 

“In my opinion we could 

have gone to 30 percent - it 

would have had no effect on our 

debt rating and we would have 

built more infrastructure.” 

Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr: Time to take advantage of cheap 

interest rates. (below) Kerr fielding questions with Kiwibank regional 

manager Waikato/BOP Eddie Stocks. Photos/David Porter. 

NZ desperately needed a 

productivity surge, he said. 

“In my opinion we can 

increase this [debt level] quite 

substantially. 

“Interest rates are at the 

lowest level in history, it will 

be easy to pay back and the 

end result will be that we can 

start building roads and rail, 

and develop the regions and 

hospitals etc over five to 10 

years and have a much more 

productive economy.” 

Globally there was around 

US$10 trillion sitting with 

institutions on negative interest 

rates, he noted. 

“We have access to billions 

of dollars at very low interest 

rates.” 

“We need to get politicians 

to realize that we have 

an untapped source that can 

be used to build the economy 

to another level. Whether 

it’s going to be an easy path 

is debatable, but we are sitting 

here with a 20 percent 

debt target that is leaving us 

not looking at five-to-10 year 

projects that we have ample 

financing for. 

We’re a bank set up to make Kiwis better off and helping Kiwi business 

owners succeed is our mission. We’ll back you with products and services 

built specifically for the New Zealand market that are designed to help you 

do more business and less banking. We’ll back you with an experienced 

Business Banking team, including specialists in asset finance, working capital, 

transactional and merchant services, foreign exchange and trade services and 

more. Bring your banking to Kiwibank, and a team that backs you to succeed. 

Call the Bay of Plenty Business Banking team on 07 571 3842 

Kiwibank Limited. 

202336AA 

Kieran Mischewski from Kiwibank (centre) with 

local businessmen Mike Green and Justin Cheyne 

at the presentation. Photo/Supplied.


19 

Small Business Tauranga forges ahead 

Small Business Tauranga will be holding 

a forum in late June hosted by Bakertilly 

Staples Rodway, which is expected to get 

an update on some of the issues being 

raised at a national level by Tenby Powell. 


Powell was appointed 

chair of the recently 

established Small Business 

Council, designed to 

advise government on opportunities 

to create a stepped 

change in the support of the 

SME ecosystem. He is the 

founder in 2011 of the NZ 

SME Small Business Network, 

which aims to create a more 

positive environment for small 

business. 

In 2012, he was appointed 

convenor of the Small Business 

Development Group 

established by government to 

provide SME owner / managers 

with a greater voice in 

policy development and about 

issues facing small businesses. 

And in 2017, he was appointed 

a NZ representative on the 

APEC Business Advisory 

Council. 

He told Bay of Plenty Business 

News that he could not 

speak on behalf of the Small 

Business Council at this stage, 

until his report was formerly 

submitted to government. 

However, he said that his aim 

was the formation of an institute 

for small business, which 

would be a crown entity, and 

bring together all the work that 

was being done in central and 

parts of local government, as 

part of a regional economic 

development strategy. 

“There is no doubt in my 

mind that small business economically 

has to be leveraged 

locally against regional economic 

development strategies 

to lift the entire small business 

economy,” said Powell. 

“We’ve got to lift it up the 

value chain and eliminate the 

red tape to allow government 

to work more clearly with 

small business in the regions.” 

Powell is also founder and 

executive director of Hunter 

Powell Investment Partners 

a private capital investment 

and SME / not-for-proft advisory 

firm owned by Powell and 

Sharon Hunter. 

Connecting the networks 

Powell had high praise for 

Small Business Tauranga and 

told Bay of Plenty Business 

News he felt it was one of the 

best in the country and had 

been incredibly effective. 

Small Business Tauranga 

was conceived within the Tauranga 

Chamber of Commerce 

three years ago, was initially 

chaired by Steven Farrant, and 

is now chaired by Infuzed’s 

Zita Cameron. She told Bay 

of Plenty Business News that 

the organisation was about 

Tenby Powell: Encouraging more recognition of the 

small business role in the economy. Photo/Supplied. 

connecting the networks and 

working together to support 

small businesses in Tauranga 

in a wider capacity. 

“SBT has created a strong 

following on Facebook and 

has been providing showcase 

opportunities, alongside morning 

networking and affordable 

bite size training to help 

small businesses upskill themselves,” 

she said. 

“This new initiative is getting 

traction and in particular 

attracted the support and 

insights of Tenby Powell. Currently 

there is no organisation 

in NZ specifically representing 

small business in the way 

we do and we are looking to 

expand even further.” 

Cameron said that as a 

Chamber network, SBT had 

helped create relevancy for the 

Chamber and hoped to get more 

traction in further connecting 

local and other networks. 

Local independent Director 

Daryl French, who works with 

a number of Small Businesses 

in the Bay, said that while the 

Bay of Plenty Small Business 

group was probably quite a 

long way ahead of the rest 

of the country, it was always 

looking for ways to do better. 

“Infrastructure is holding 

us back a little, and we still 

need more focus and support 

for seed stage ideas and new 

entrepreneurs, such as what we 

see delivered by Venture Centre. 

Collaboration can also be 

improved, as there are a number 

of supporting resources out 

there for Small Businesses, its 

just that it isn’t clear how to 

access them.” 

Time is an illusion, Timing is an art (Albert Einstein) 

Kevin Kerr and Paul Brljevich 

of Tabak Business 

sales know that 

there is an art in timing – they 

are experienced in identifying 

the right moment to sell your 

business as you are only ever 

going to sell it once. 

“It’s not simply a matter of 

reaching retirement age that 

prompts the decision to sell a 

business,” Paul says. “In fact 

that group of sellers accounts 

for only around one third of 

our sales.” 

Often business owners 

have simply lost their passion, 

discovered a new opportunity 

or their company success has 

prompted the need for a radical 

change or restructure. 

Health, personal and family 

needs make up the majority 

of reasons for deciding on the 

need to sell. 

Whatever the reason, 

Kevin and Paul emphasise the 

benefits to be gained by chatting 

to them early. They do 

it differently to other brokerages. 

They thoroughly explore 

the drivers of the desire to sell 

and examine all the available 

options to them. 

“Boredom is common with 

many owners and if the 100% 

commitment and energy is 

not there, the business will in 

most cases plateau or in some 

cases decline,” says Paul. 

“This could be detrimental to 

the business and as a result 

might decrease the business 

sale value.” 

Once the desire to sell is 

certain, then Tabak’s experienced 

team are able to create 

a marketing strategy to attract 

the right buyer for the business. 

Says Paul: “We strategically 

limit our listings in order 

to ensure a highly personalised 

and confidential service.” 

Getting a business into 

shape for a sale takes time and 

Kevin says that only 20% of 

SME owners with a business 

to sell come to see them early 

enough. The key to a successful 

sale is preparing the business 

so as to maximise the sale 

value. Sounds simple enough 

but too few business owners 

seem to do it. 

Buyers tend to focus on 

the most recent business performance 

and profitability 

trend lines to ensure that it 

will continue under new ownership. 

Too many business 

owners think that their past 

performance alone will determine 

the business value. The 

key factor here is assessing 

that the current performance, 

income stream and resulting 

profits are maintainable 

(Future maintainable earnings). 

Industry cycles and economic 

factors are also taken 

into consideration. It is for 

this reason that the timing of 

the sale is critical to presenting 

the business in the best 

possible light and at the best 

time. Kevin says that there is 

generally no trouble finding 

buyers for well-run profitable 

businesses. 

Kevin and Paul emphasise 

the need to talk to them when 

you are first thinking of selling 

your business. Our most 

successful sales are when 

the process goes smoothly 

and the maximum value is 

achieved. Inevitably these are 

businesses that we have been 

working with for a significant 

period of time prior to going 

to market. 

Connecting Serious Buyers 

with Quality Businesses 

0800 482 225, info@tabak. 

co.nz, 07 578 6329 

(Tabak Ltd REA 2008)

Don’t hibernate – come 

to Trustpower Baypark 

With the cold weather setting in around the 

Bay of Plenty there’s no reason to bunker 

down at home with the heater. Head on 

down to Baypark where there’s plenty to 

keep you and the family entertained. 

The 29th annual Bay 

of Plenty ExportNZ 

Awards recognise the 

innovative, the brave and 

the successful, bringing the 

export community together 

showcasing amazing local 

export stories which we 

should all be proud of! This 

year the event will be held on 

Friday 21 June with a glamorous 

Old Hollywood/Oscars 

theme. Make sure you buy 

your tickets now before they 

sell out! 

The annual Bay of Plenty 

Pet & Animal Expo has plenty 

to keep even the fussiest pet 

lover satisfied. See all the 

entertainment and demo’s 

in the Performance Arena 

including the Dog and Duck 

Herding Super-Show with 

former Dog Blacks Champion 

Ken White. If you are an animal 

lover then don’t miss out 

on this event on Saturday 22 

– Sunday 23 June. 

David Niethe is New Zealand’s 

Leading Mental Performance 

Coach and will be in 

Tauranga on Friday 28 June. 

Dave will entertain, excite and 

empower. He is known for his 

high energy and exhilarating 

on stage presence and has a 

reputation for connecting with 

a crowd and delivering an 

inspiring message. He specialises 

in Mental Performance 

and Getting aMental Edge. 

The Seriously Good Food 

Show is proud to bring back 

The Landing Food Truck Hub 

on the 29 and 30 of June 2019. 

This two day event features 

over 150 exhibitors sharing 

the latest in innovative products, 

acclaimed chefs sharing 

their secrets and delectable 

food and wine tastings. Visit 

the vibrant Live Cooking 

Theatre and laugh along to 

our Funny Food Sessions. 

See comedian Ben Hurley as 

he tries to keep up with our 

chef Peter Blakeway in the 

Cookalong at 11am, 1pm and 

3pm daily, and catch a hilarious 

appearance from the Topp 

Twins at 2.15pm each day. 

The Rotax MAX Challenge 

(RMC) 2019 is coming 

to satisfy speed-seekers on 

26 and 27 July 2019. RMC 

is a motor sport race formula 

for race karts. On a national 

level, authorised distributors 

of Rotax kart products offer 

their customers a national 

RMC program. 

More than 7,500 active 

Rotax MAX drivers are in 

the RMC program and further 

7,500 kart racers follow the 

basic rules of the RMC. Bring 

the family along for an actionpacked 

weekend. 

Good Vibes coming 

Top NZ Bands are bringing 

the Good Vibes across 

New Zealand. This is a guaranteed 

good time and vibe 

for a warm-up party on 27 

July. Presented by Mai FM 

and Pato Entertainment, the 

Good Vibes Winter Tour will 

feature some of Aotearoa’s 

most-loved acts, including 

Katchafire, L.A.B, Tomorrow 

People and 1814, alongside 

international acts Josh Wawa, 

LaTasha Lee, and local rising 

star, Lion Rezz. Teen sensation, 

General Fiyah and international 

reggae stars will also 

take part. 

Based in the heart of Tauranga, 

the Bay Twisters is the 

only non-profit cheerleading 

club with USASF Coaches 

in New Zealand. In 2016, 

Bay Twisters hosted the first 

cheer competition in the Bay 

of Plenty, the event proved 

extremely popular and in 

2017 Bay Twisters hosted 

Battle in the Bay once again. 

In 2017 the dance section was 

added and the event almost 

doubled in size. We had local 

and international celebrities, 

TV appearances and a Guinness 

World Record attempt to 

name some of the excitement. 

Once again the event grew in 

2018, and 2019 is anticipated 

to be bigger and better than 

ever before. Online registrations 

are now open. 

Are you tough enough to 

take on the one-day Junior 

Tough Guy and Gal Challenge? 

New for 2019, Tauranga 

will host the Junior 

Tough Guy and Gal series on 

13 & 14 August. 

This is a chance for primary 

and intermediate aged kids 

to get involved in New Zealand’s 

biggest mud run series 

in a version tailored especially 

for them. The Junior 

Tough Guy and Gal Challenge 

will include many of the same 

amazing perks along with all 

competitors receiving a stunning 

finisher’s medal, Hell 

Pizza voucher and the chance 

to experience the challenging 

obstacles, incredible venues, 

hot showers and spot prizes. 

Rockshop Bandquest is a 

platform for the next generation 

of contemporary musicians 

to step out and perform 

in a supportive and encouraging 

competition format, with 

a focus on education, inspiration, 

and entertainment. 

The idea behind Rockshop 

Bandquest is to encourage Primary 

and Intermediate aged 

kids onto the stage, teaching 

them performance skills and 

the importance of teamwork. 

Add 15 August to your calendar 

so you don’t miss out. 

Once again one of the largest 

Women’s only fundraising 

events in New Zealand is 

back on in 2019. A day full of 

entertainment, fine dining, a 

few drinks and some inspirational 

speakers on 16 August. 

All while raising much 

needed funds for Two local 

charities – Tauranga Women’s 

Refuge and WBOP Blue 

Light Youth Driver Navigator 

Programme. This year the MC 

is the Vivacious Jackie Clarke 

and the guest speaker is the 

talented Tina Cross. Together 

these women will ensure that 

you’re entertained for the 

entire event. 

For more information 

on any events, enquiries for 

Baypark venues, BayStation 

activities or service on/off site 

from BayCatering, BayAudioVisual 

visit www.trustpowerbaypark.co.nz, 

email 

events@bayvenues.co.nz or 

call 07 577 8560.


21 

Hitting the location 

bullseye to boost 

sales targets 

Analysis from Bayleys Research paints a 

national picture of strong demand and a 

solid outlook for retail property across New 

Zealand and this has flow-on effects to 

both owners and tenants. 

While some parts of 

New Zealand still 

have numerous “for 

lease” signs displayed on 

store frontages, retailers in the 

main centres looking to back 

themselves in an increasingly-tough 

sector can be challenged 

when it comes to finding 

a building that fulfils all of 

the criteria on their wish lists. 

Location for retail is key in 

order to hit sales targets and 

operate efficiently and profitably. 

As the retail sector continues 

to evolve on the back of 

smarter e-commerce portals, 

securing a bricks-and-mortar 

retail presence with “legs” 

is important and businesses 

looking to be ahead of the 

pack should talk to Bayleys’ 

experienced retail teams in the 

region and across the country 

for all the relevant intel. 

The latest Retail NZ Retail 

Radar survey indicates half 

of retailers didn't hit their 

sales targets for the period 

monitored. And smaller busi- 

nesses particularly, are facing 

hurdles, according to Greg 

Harford, Retail NZ's general 

manager for public affairs. 

“Retailers face substantial 

pressures in rents, wages, and 

insurances, the decline in the 

value of the dollar will mean 

imported goods cost more 

over the coming months and 

these cost pressures are compounded 

by the highly competitive 

retail environment.” 

Bayleys Research says 

a strong regional economy 

and growing demand driven 

by ongoing high migration 

underpin a solid outlook for 

Auckland’s retail property 

sector. 

The latest Auckland retail 

vacancy survey showed overall 

vacancy at 5.1 percent, 

holding at similar low levels 

to those of the past few years. 

Strip retail and mall vacancies 

remained relatively 

steady at 6.3 percent and 3.4 

percent respectively, with a 

slight increase in bulk retail 

vacancies to 7.4 percent from 

6.5 percent a year earlier. 

West Auckland was the 

only area to see vacancies rise 

and Bayleys Research manager 

Ian Little says much of 

this vacancy relates to new 

bulk retail stock built in the 

emerging Westgate retail precinct. 

“We expect most of this 

new space to lease up over the 

coming year as new subdivision 

activity increases in the 

immediate catchment area.” 

Major Auckland-wide 

projects include prime CBD 

retail at Commercial Bay; 

expansion at Sylvia Park; 

redevelopment and upgrades 

of Westfield centres in Newmarket, 

St Lukes and Albany; 

the second stage of Westgate’s 

NorthWest Shopping Centre, 

and town centre developments 

at Botany, Drury and Ormiston. 

Bayleys Research’s latest 

Wellington retail vacancy 

survey showed that vacancies 

generally remain tight across 

all the retail regions surveyed 

with the greater Wellington 

overall retail vacancy rate at 

9.5 percent from 11 percent a 

year earlier. 

Johnsonville, Lower Hutt 

and Porirua all recorded further 

falls while Paraparaumu, 

Petone and Upper Hutt saw 

vacancies rise marginally. 

CBD core vacancies also 

lifted to 7.1 percent from 6.3 

percent a year earlier. 

Ian Little says ongoing 

post-earthquake rebuilding 

and strengthening, as well 

as new builds, have seen a 

steady stream of new retail 

offerings coming onto the 

market, which is adding extra 

vibrancy and interest in Wellington’s 

CBD. 

Meanwhile in Christchurch, 

the development 

of new retail amenities and 

the revitalisation of existing 

facilities, are giving choice to 

retailers. 

Suburban retail development 

is also expanding 

options, according to Little. 

“Retail development is not 

limited to the CBD as with 

changes in shopping habits 

and competition from the 

CBD rebuild, a number of 

mall owners have looked to 

upgrade and refurbish.” 

https://www.bayleys.co.nz/ 

workplace/articles 

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are what businesses are built on and how they 

succeed. We understand that to maximise the return on your property you need: 

Professional property management 

A business partner that understands your views and goals 

Contact the Bayleys Tauranga Commercial Property Management team today. 

Bayleys Tauranga 

Commercial Property Management 

07 579 0609 

jan.cooney@bayleystauranga.co.nz 

SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services


CONNECTING 

BUYERS AND 

SELLERS OF 

QUALITY 

BUSINESSES 

First on the scene 

Pictures from the recent launch of the 2019 EY NZ Private Equity and Venture Capital 

Monitor hosted by EY at Tauranga’s The Vault, Spring Street Tauranga. 

Photos by Salina Galvan Photography 

When is the right time to sell 

your business? Right now. 

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complete confidentiality. 

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3 

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Tudhope and Peter Tinholt, Oriens Capital. 

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Colin Armer, investor. 10 Mark Renner, Tompkins Wake and Richard Williams, EY.


23 

Cyber security needs more than a firewall 

New Zealand has embraced digital 

technologies faster than many other 

countries. We’ve raced into the Cloud, and 

per capita we are one of the highest users 

of Microsoft Office 365 and Google Suite. 

But our security has not adapted to this 

modern environment at the same rate. 

The way we do business 

has changed dramatically. 

We moved online, 

started sharing our lives on 

Social Media, putting our critical 

business data in the Cloud 

and began working from our 

cars, homes and hotels. The 

Modern Workplace provides 

us with new ways of working. 

But at the same time, it 

has introduced new risks. Just 

as cyberspace has no borders, 

neither does cybercrime. 

Cyber-attacks are on the rise 

and New Zealand businesses 

are a prime target. In 2017 

New Zealand lost an estimated 

NZD$177 million to cybercrime. 

The cybersecurity arms 

race is on - basic threat protection 

measures such as antivirus 

and firewall no longer provide 

sufficient protection. 

Cybercriminals have a 

range of approaches as well 

as an agile and growing tool 

set. The potential rewards are 

huge, and the risk is relatively 

small. 

These cyber threats are not 

new, but they are becoming 

more frequent. Like Health and 

Safety, Cybersecurity is a very 

real risk and has the potential 

to affect the viability of your 

business and the livelihood of 

your staff. We need to raise 

the level of the cybersecurity 

conversation, not just with our 

users and IT support teams, but 

with executives and boards. 

We recommend focusing 

on three key areas to help keep 

your systems safe: 

TECH TALK 

> BY DANIEL GOYMER 

Technical Director of Yorb, a Business Technology Partner. He can 

be reached on Daniel.goymer@yorb.tech or 0800-600-606 

People 

People are your first and last 

line of defence. All the security 

technologies and processes 

in the world can be brought 

down by a single well-meaning 

employee in a careless 

moment. Human error has 

become a major weak point; 

one that is easily exploited by 

cyber criminals. It is vital that 

businesses have some form of 

cyber security training in place 

to educate their employees 

on the importance of protecting 

sensitive information and 

what malicious threats to look 

out for. 

Process 

Are your internal business 

processes secure, how do you 

verify supplier requests for a 

change to their bank account 

details? If a request was made 

to transfer money overseas; 

how is that request verified? 

It is key to ensure you have 

in place processes that are 

detailed, known and well 

understood. 

Technology 

No tool by itself can effectively 

secure your data. Manage your 

people and technology with 

multiple layers of protection 

such as firewalls, anti-virus 

protection and mobile device 

management. 

Security is not something 

that can be achieved in isolation 

using bigger firewalls. 

Cyber Security needs a holistic 

companywide approach. 

• Work with your staff to 

ensure they take the appropriate 

precautions when 

working with your systems. 

• Implement processes that 

help to identify unauthorised 

or unusual behaviour. 

• Invest in technologies that 

improve security standards 

to automatically block 

hackers or unsafe files from 

your networks. 

• Conduct ongoing security 

awareness training; analysing 

previous attacks and 

how these examples can 

be used to increase your 

safety. 

To feel confident in today’s 

threat landscape, you need a 

multi-faceted approach that 

also includes a security framework, 

staff training, data protection 

and more. You can 

only adequately address cyber 

risks by increasing security 

awareness across your entire 

business. 

GEMMA & RICHIE 

McCAW


The career path less travelled 

Everybody remembers their first job. And 

the learnings are hard-wired into our 

subconscious. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos jokes 

that his first job taught him how to crack 

eggs one handed. More seriously, I suspect 

that his Saturday mornings actually taught 

him each of these top 10 basic job skills: 

1. The importance of time 

management and of sticking 

to a schedule. 

2. Attention to detail. 

3. Attitude is all important. 

4. The value of money and 

earning it. 

5. Communication skills. 

6. Customer service skills and 

how to keep a customer satisfied. 

7. How to deal with new problems 

and the unknown. 

8. Learning in new ways and 

the importance of continued 

learning. 

9. That work and business is 

complicated, and systems 

and processes are required 

to be successful. 

10. Hard work and going the 

extra mile trumps smarts 

nearly every time. 

New Zealand franchised 

businesses directly employ 

more than 124,200 people. 

More than simply providing 

first time employment for 

many, franchising’s contribution 

to training, education and 

career pathing for many New 

Zealanders is staggering. A 

first job clearing tables or selling 

shoes may well help tick 

off our skills checklist. Some 

employees then move onto 

other employment or education. 

But for others, franchised 

employment can and does provide 

a continued career path. 

In addition to basic job 

skills, franchised employment 

often provides training opportunities 

from skill or brand specific 

to formal qualifications 

underpinned by NZQA (New 

Zealand Qualifications Authority). 

Unit standards and qualifications 

as diverse as a unit 

standard using a point of sale 

system, or a National Certificate 

in Hospitality if working 

for a café, restaurant or hotel 

brand, through to The New 

Zealand Diploma in Financial 

Services for financial advisers, 

are among just a few of the 

options. Training, experience 

and qualifications can open the 

doors to higher positions and 

a career path, all within franchised 

employment. 

True, these skills and 

qualifications may be gained 

through corporate employment. 

However, there are two 

very specific reasons why following 

the path less travelled 

through franchised employment 

should be recognised and 

given greater consideration 

- the scale and nature of New 

Zealand business, and where 

you want to head on your 

career path. 

Many franchise systems 

have developed their own 

training programmes across 

the skill and qualification 

spectrum offering opportunities 

to upskill and achieve 

national qualifications while 

working and earning money. A 

franchised business operating 

within one of these systems is 

able to offer and train staff and 

provide opportunities, whether 

they be in Greymouth or Grey 

Lynn, which as independents 

they would struggle to afford 

to or manage to deliver. Additionally, 

many of these industries 

simply do not have large 

or even corporate players, so 

that learning and development 

structure is provided by the 

franchise system. 

The second reason is that 

New Zealand really is a country 

of small and medium-sized 

enterprises. We’re a country of 

entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

Large corporations are 

different beasts and if your 

end goal is to successfully run 

your own SME, then learning 

the ropes in one is a far more 

appropriate grounding. As a 

franchised employee within a 

well-structured learning and 

development environment, you 

can learn the skills and obtain 

the qualifications. More importantly, 

you get to see SME busi- 

FRANCHISING 

> BY NATHAN BONNEY 

Nathan Bonney is a director of Iridium Partners. He can be 

reached at nathan@iridium.net.nz or 0275-393-022 

ness up close and personal, and 

can gain a better understanding 

of, and be better prepared for, 

your own business ownership. 

Franchising in New Zealand 

is doing a fantastic job training 

and developing many Kiwis. 

That can range from the first 

“jobber” that funds their law 

degree flipping burgers during 

university holidays, to the one 

who stays and works their way 

up to one day open their own 

business. Franchised employment 

should be recognised and 

encouraged as a career path 

well suited to the New Zealand 

way of life. 

TERMS 

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25 

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Check your marketing images are 

sending the right message 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

> BY JAMES HEFFIELD 

Director of Bay of Plenty marketing and PR consultancy Last 

Word. To find out more visit lastwordmedia.co.nz or email 

james@lastwordmedia.co.nz. 

The revelation that the woman and 

daughter on the cover of the Government’s 

2019 Budget document moved to Australia 

for financial reasons is a timely reminder of 

the value of knowing the story behind any 

photographs you use in your business. 

Stock photography can 

be an inexpensive and 

convenient source of 

images for your websites, 

publications and marketing 

materials, but it also carries a 

degree of risk. Especially if the 

photographers or the people 

photographed hold views or 

have life stories at odds with 

your intended messaging. 

In the case of the Government’s 

Wellbeing Budget 

document, the National Party 

gleefully went to the media 

after becoming aware that the 

woman and daughter photographed 

on the cover, Vicky 

and Ruby-Jean Freeman, had 

moved to Australia. 

When spoken to by Newshub, 

Vicky Freeman said it 

was “just hard financially” 

being a single mother in New 

Zealand, and she had moved to 

Australia after finding the cost 

of living in Auckland high. 

It was not the kind of publicity 

the Government wanted 

after releasing a budget that 

they aimed to have celebrated 

for its significant increase in 

funding for mental health, 

families, vulnerable children 

and beneficiaries. 

It’s not the first time a stock 

photo has left an organisation 

red-faced, and certainly not 

a worst-case example. Much 

more mind-boggling was the 

2015 international fundraising 

calendar released by Greenpeace 

USA, which featured a 

photo of zebras and giraffes 

taken by wildlife photographer 

Alain Mafart. 

Staggeringly, those 

involved in the calendar’s production 

did not realise until it 

was printed that Mafart-Renodier, 

previously known as 

Alain Mafart, was the very 

same man who had been convicted 

of manslaughter for his 

involvement in the infamous 

1985 bombing of Greenpeace’s 

flagship Rainbow Warrior. 

Upon realising the identity 

of the former French military 

operative Greenpeace USA 

destroyed 14,000 copies of the 

calendar it held in stock, but 

could not prevent the majority 

from being sold to the public. 

So what can we learn from 

these two examples? One key 

takeaway is to make sure you 

know the story behind your 

image. The easiest way to do 

that is to take any photos you 

plan to use in-house, or with 

the help of a professional 

photographer who conducts a 

photo shoot using talent that 

has been checked and vetted. 

That way you can more 

easily verify that those being 

photographed don’t have any 

controversial skeletons in the 

closet. 

If you are going to use a 

stock image – and let’s face it 

they are often the lower-cost 

option – then it is worth checking 

up on the photographer and 

the people in the photos, just 

to make sure their views and 

background aren’t at odds with 

what your business stands for. 

Make sure remote 

workers don’t become 

too flexible 

PROS 

The recent teacher strikes 

saw parents the length 

of the country juggling 

kids and work commitments. 

Many employers will have 

been sympathetic to the cause, 

allowing their employees to 

work from home where possible. 

And this kind of flexibility 

can be invaluable in maintaining 

productivity and staff loyalty. 

With advances in technology, 

working from home 

is becoming more and more 

common – and easier than 

ever. Whether your team is 

dispersed across the city or 

across the globe, tools such 

as video conferencing and 

the omnipresent Cloud across 

geographical divides. 

But just because you can, 

should you? 

Managing a flexible workforce 

can be a balancing act. 

Whether or not it’s a fit for 

your business will depend on 

a number of factors, not least 

the type of work you do. A 

good place to start is to weigh 

up the pros and cons. 

Cost savings 

If you reduce the size of your 

core, office-based team, you 

can reduce the costs of running 

an office, including overheads 

like rent, computers, 

phones, electricity, heating 

and air conditioning. 

Increased productivity 

A ground-breaking experiment 

by Stanford University 

found that people who work 

from home are more productive 

than people who work in 

an office. The remote workers 

in the study took shorter 

breaks, had fewer sick days 

and took less time off. They 

said they found it less distracting 

and easier to concentrate 

at home. 

Improve retention rates 

The same two-year study 

found a 50 percent decrease 

in attrition. Allowing workers 

the flexibility to work around 

things like sick days and 

school holidays can increase 

HUMAN RESOURCES 

> BY KELLIE HAMLETT 

Director, Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent ID Recruitment Ltd. 

She can be contacted on kellie@talentid.co.nz or 027 227 7736 

their loyalty, and make you a 

more attractive employer than 

your competitors. 

Work-life balance 

A good work-life balance 

results in happier employees, 

who are less stressed, and 

therefore less prone to illness 

and more motivated. 

Increase your reach 

Allowing people to work 

remotely instantly widens the 

talent pool. It means you can 

draw on skills outside your 

geographical location. 

CONS 

Trust 

Remote working is based on 

trust. The reality is that some 

people will perform well 

remotely and others won’t. 

But the bottom line is you 

have to start from a position 

of trust. Constantly checking 

up on an employee is not constructive 

for either of you. If 

you don’t feel you can trust an 

employee to work from home, 

it may not be the right choice. 

Security threats 

Remote workers who use their 

own laptops and phones and 

work on unsecured networks 

can pose a risk. Their antivirus 

software may not be stringent 

enough and could leave your 

business open to attack. Having 

a remote work security 

policy in place and providing 

cyber security education can 

help to mitigate this risk. 

Distractions 

While it’s easy to get sidetracked 

in the office by overenthusiastic 

co-workers, 

working from home comes 

with its own set of distractions. 

Like that pile of washing that 

needs to be hung out, or the 

dog insisting on a mid-afternoon 

walk. For those prone to 

domestic distraction, it might 

be better to make a clean break 

between work and home. 

Less face-to-face time 

As much as technology has 

advanced, as humans we are 

social beings and there’s nothing 

like being in the same 

room for team bonding, brainstorming 

and idea sharing. 

Scheduling in regular face-toface 

meetings between remote 

workers can be beneficial for 

both relationship-building and 

getting results. 

In summary, there’s no rule 

book when it comes to working 

remotely. To a large degree 

it comes down to intuition and 

output. It can be beneficial for 

both employer and employee, 

but if something doesn’t feel 

right, or you aren’t getting the 

results you want, it might be 

time to rethink how flexible 

you make your workforce.


27 

How Separation can affect your Business 

When a couple decides to separate, one of 

the biggest issues is how their belongings 

will be divided between them. This is 

understandably a difficult and stressful time 

for everyone involved, but things could 

get even more complicated if you own a 

business. 

“Usually, if a marriage, 

civil union or de facto 

relationship has lasted 

more than 3 years, all relationship 

property will be divided 

equally between the parties 

unless there is an opting out 

agreement, or if the Family 

Court determines that there 

are extraordinary circumstances 

which would make 

equal sharing unacceptable,” 

explains Paula Lines from The 

Law Shop. 

“Your business is most 

likely relationship property so 

if you and your partner separate, 

the business will need to 

be considered when deciding 

how to divide the assets. This 

is regardless of whether only 

you or both of you work in the 

business,” she says. 

In some cases, it seems 

obvious that one party will 

retain the business, but that 

party will likely need to forego 

other relationship property to 

equalise the value. In other situations, 

especially when both 

parties work in the business, it 

can be harder to agree on who 

should keep it. Sometimes, it 

will be easier to sell up. But 

while the decisions are being 

made or it is being marketed 

for sale, someone still needs 

to be running the business to 

maintain its value. 

“If you have a partnership 

or shareholder’s agreement, 

the issues should be covered 

and the path to resolution 

should be clear. In the 

absence of an agreement, you 

will have equal rights to make 

decisions, access information 

and generally keep the business 

running. 

If necessary, you can apply 

to the court to make decisions 

on how to get through 

this interim period,” Paula 

explains. 

The best way to protect 

yourself, and your business, 

is to get things right from the 

get-go and make sure that you 

have the correct documents 

in place. The Business Law 

team at The Law Shop can 

assist you with partnership and 

shareholder agreements, sale 

and purchase agreements, loan 

contracts and securities, and all 

other documentation you need 

to protect your business. 

Their family lawyers can 

expertly advise you on the 

Property (Relationships) Act. 

If you prefer to be prepared 

and proactive, they can assist 

you with drawing up a Contracting 

Out agreement, also 

known as a pre or post-nuptial, 

before you get married or 

enter into a new relationship. 

With this, you can specify 

how you want to protect certain 

assets in case of a separation. 

“Contracting out isn’t just 

about prenuptials. It’s also 

used in estate planning. It’s 

a document that will make 

The best way to 

protect yourself, and 

your business, is 

to get things right 

from the get-go and 

make sure that you 

have the correct 

documents in place. 

dividing up property much 

easier if it comes to that,” 

Paula says. 

The team at The Law Shop 

understands what’s involved 

in running a business, and 

how to legally deal with any 

curveballs that may come 

your way. 

Give them a call on 0800 

LAW SHOP (0800 529 7467) 

to get your personal and business 

needs and documentation 

sorted. With a no-nonsense 

approach, The Law Shop is 

there to help. 

STEPHANIE NORTHEY 

LL.B | Director 

PAULA LINES 


SARSHA TYRRELL 


ROTORUA 

1268 Arawa St 

Rotorua 

TAURANGA 

1239 Cameron Rd 

Greerton

Absolutely Next 

Level 

141 Ngatai Road, Otumoetai 

Price 

Asking $2,950,000 

Contact 

Cameron Macneil 021 800 889 

Jason Eves 027 587 5509 

Oceanfront Horizons, 

Rural Sunsets 

157 Pukehina Parade, Pukehina Beach 

SOLD 

Contact 

Jason Eves 027 587 5509 


Art & 

Architecture 

96c Boscabel Drive, Ohauiti 

SOLD 

Contact 


Jason Eves 027 587 5509 

Modern, Elegant, 

Income Options 

40 Oikimoke Road, Te Puna 

Price 

Asking $1,950,000 

Contact 


Jason Eves 027 587 5509 

Gorgeous European 

Inspired Home & Studio 

400a Cambridge Road, Tauriko 

Price 

Enquiries Over $1,475,000 

Contact 

Jason Eves 027 587 5509 


Architectural 

Intelligence 

6 Hazel Terrace, Otumoetai 

SOLD 

Contact 


Jason Eves 027 587 5509 

A Time & Place 

Pyes Pa Road, Pyes Pa 

SOLD 

Contact 


Jason Eves 027 587 5509 

Simply a 

Beautiful Life 

12 Beach Grove, Omokoroa 

Price 

Asking $1,500,000 

Contact 

Jason Eves 027 587 5509 


Trusted to sell Bay of Plenty’s finest homes and lifestyle properties. 

Oliver Road Estate Agents Limited | Licensed REAA 2008 

oliverroad.co.nz

Bay of Plenty Business News June/July 2019

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